FLOATING SOLAR-POWERED AERATION SYSTEM FOR AQUACULTURE, WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND EXCESS ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION

Figure 1:  LOCE Cost Breakdown on GMPV and FPV

The research team is developing an off gird floating solar aeration system coupled with energy storage that improves water quality and protects underwater organisms and habitats. The particular target of the technology is for commercial-scale aquaculture farming, where supplemental dissolved oxygen is needed to overcome the dissolved oxygen consumed through the breakdown of wastes that accumulate through concentrated animal feeding. 

As the utility-scale solar reaches Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of $0.028-$0.041/kWh, a floating photovoltaic (FPV) powered aeration system could be a cost-effective option. One of the major benefits of the technology is that as the water bodies help cool down the solar panel, higher electricity production can be achieved. This makes the technology’s LCOE (Figure 1) competitive with a ground-mounted photovoltaic system (GMPV).

The pilot technology has floating solar panels, energy storage, a paddle wheel aeration system, and fish cages. The technology is expected to provide continuous aeration by incorporating energy storage to address the intermittent nature of solar power and produce excess electricity, which could be supplied to power other needs. Its performance and reliability are monitored and evaluated at the Texas A&M aquaculture research facility (Figure 2). The critical parameters under evaluation include technology’s electricity production for aeration and aquaculture’s critical parameters, including water temperature, stocking density, and feed.  Once the technology is soon perfected, it is expected to revolutionize the application of floating solar aeration for aquaculture, water quality improvement, and excess electricity production, for that matter.