Optimize Solar Panel Placement
Assessing site-specific solar resources
Among the first steps that should be taken to optimize solar panel placement, there must be conducting a comprehensive assessment of the available solar resources at the aquaculture site. It includes of sunlight patterns, shadowing effects typical for the farm from some nearby structures or natural features, and seasonal changes of the overall sun intensity. To understand the most efficient and effective places to install solar panels, it is recommended to develop a detailed solar mapping for exact of the aquaculture site. For example, a fish farm in Portugal took advantage of drone technology, creating a thorough solar exposure map. This step focused allowed to increase energy output by placing panels in optimal areas.
Proper solar panel orientation and angle
It is crucial to understand that proper orientation and angling of solar panels are essential to maximize energy production. To do so, panels should be oriented in the way to the direction receiving the most sunlight throughout a day, which is usually considered south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere. The optimal angle of inclination generally depends on the exact latitude of the place; however, there should also some alterations to follow seasonal sun positions changes. For example, a solar-powered aquaculture farm in California studied during some tests of the best angle of inclination showing that seasonal tilting of solar panels can increase their efficacy by up to 15%.
Integrating additional cores and other components
Aquaculture infrastructure should be taken into consideration while installing solar panels as they should not interfere with areas for operation. Floating solar panels are one of the best choices for aquaculture as they generally require of not having any additional land. Proper integration should not create any issues with the evaporation of water, meaning panels must not provide high levels of shading to the farm area. Additionally, they also should not negatively affect water temperature and other parameters of the farm. For example, a series of floating solar panels were installed at a catfish farm in Alabama in a way that there are sections where light can still go through the water, preserving the necessary photosynthetic processes of the growth of water plants.
Utilizing tracking systems
Upper levels of solar panel performance can be achieved with regard to using a solar tracking system that allows to adjust the angle of the panels. Over the day, this system can effectively follow the overall trajectory of the sun, which increases energy absorption significantly. While they are generally more expensive in comparison to fixed-tilt modules, in most cases, the increase of energy production justifies the costs. A tilapia farm in Arizona experienced a 20% increase of solar panel efficiency after the tracking system was installed.
Regular maintenance
It is also crucial to regularly maintain the performance of installed solar panels to ensure they operate at their best efficiency. Solar aquaculture site in southwest Florida operates a routine maintenance schedule for more than five years, and all its solar panels still show 90% efficiency performance.
Energy Storage Solutions
Energy Storage Technology Selection
Selecting the most appropriate energy storage technology is fundamental for enhancing solar energy usage in aquaculture. The most spread type is lithium-ion batteries because of their high efficiency and relatively long lifecycle. The selection should be based on the capacity due to the farm’s needs and charge rate and overall durability. For instance, a shrimp farm in Thailand has implemented a large-scale lithium-ion storage system, which was producing repeatable results, managing the facility’s energy load. Even when the inputs from the solar systems were particularly low, the system repeatedly balanced energy spending all day and night.
Solar Power Systems Integration
Combining the energy storage technologies with solar power systems allows the best possible usage of solar energy and might not rely on the grid energy as significantly. The main idea is to arrange the storage system that would accumulate the energy from the solar panels when the latter generated the excess amount of it and then provide the energy when the needs peaks happened or the solar generation became low. The approach prevents power interruptions. For example, fish farms are integrating batteries from Tesla Powerwall into solar panel systems generating power for life support systems. One of the greater advantages is a constant power supply even during the load peaks.
ROI analysis
Although the initial investment requirements can be significant, the final savings on energy bills should be considered for such systems. An AquaBioTech Group facility located in Greece implemented the energy storage system, and the cost efficiency was estimated. The provision in energy bills allowed the aquaculture facility to save around 40% of equipment storages. Given that the solution’s price was returned by the facility after less than four years, the investment was beneficial.
Maintenance and Life
Energy storage systems need proper maintenance because their life directly influences whether the solutions would work and the desired energy savings would be available. Regular checks and other maintenance procedures allowing to ensure that the batteries are not degrading need temperature control, voltage monitoring, and the system’s cleaning. Additional practices, such as checking for any loose connections, are also helpful. For instance, the current bass fishery in Spain maintains its battery storage systems by having a routine check-ups schedule every half a year, which allows ensuring it is functioning properly all the time.
Scalability of the solution
Another significant consideration when planning considerable energy savings is the scalability of the implemented solutions. For instance, as the sun aquaculture programs can get expanded with time, the energy storage needs might change. However, anticipating the scalability of the solutions allows designing them in a way that can be scaled up over time without too significant investments into entirely new storage technologies. For example, an experimental product for fish feed production in Norway designed its molecular batteries developed so that they can be easily expanded by adding more of them to the system.
Automation and Intelligent Systems
Smart Monitoring Systems
Smart monitoring systems are the most crucial components that help optimize solar aquaculture through automation. These systems monitor every parameter every second using sensors to ensure quality and efficiency. Processes such as water quality monitoring, quantity of output of solar energy, health of the fish are performed with the help of smart sensors and IoT. The Israeli tilapia farm uses a smart monitoring system that can automatically adjust oxygen levels in water and angles of solar panels according to the real-time environmental data, thus augmenting the trigger of fish by 20% and cutting down energy wastage .
Automate Feed Retirements
The amount of feed that is released can be automated programmed not only to save labor but also to avoid wastage of food. The feed is beneficial as it can remain carbon free, which augments the growth, the health of the fish. For example, the salmon farm in Norway equipped with automated feed retired 15% of the overfeeding and reducing automated the feed cost and the effect on the environmental pollution. In addition, this reduces the wastage of the natural product and the successive balance of the forest.
Energy Management System
Energy Management system is the critical and intelligent operation of solar energy in aquaculture. Usage of predictive analytics and the importance of the system in the critical application of energy consumption and storage is considered as one of the important aspects of energy saving. Operations and processes are based on real-time data usage to control, optimize, implement and storage as per the requirement of energy. Energy management system technologies can shift the energy source between the available solar energy sources to consume with the lowest cost-effective one among the available sources. The catfish farm in Alabama is operating with an energy management system, which usage of grid power has been reduced by 40%, federate per kilowatts costs have been lesser .
Predictive Maintenance Using AI
Predictive maintenance through using AI applications, such as sensor systems that examine the fault of equipment based on artificial intelligence logic. Predictable failure of solar panels and water pump are used in this in the predictive maintenance to analyze the data and information of processes based on AI applications. In an Australian prawn farm, AI has reduced the maintenance cost and downtime by 30% and 10% respectively.
Remote Control and Operation
Remote control of solar aquaculture in remote data and communication site is essential in operating any number of sites virtually. The advantages of remote control and operation of various sites include an immediate respond maintenance costs. A remote control system in Indonesia is operating multiple sites with the celebration of quality and steady progress.
Reduce Reliance on External Power
Generating and Storing Excess Energy
Producing more energy than a farming or processing operation needs provides the opportunity to avoid using an outside power source. However, the energy still needs to be available when the solar cells have no access to natural light. An example of an efficient method to maximize energy creation is the use of autonomous trailers with solar cells – a Norwegian company uses the method to create five times the energy that is usually needed. The energy is stored in fuel cells, which provides a month’s worth of energy.
Positive Impact of Energy-efficient Technologies
Solar panels require a minimal amount of energy for maintenance purposes and occasional cleaning; as a result, any energy-intensive operation needing an outside source would be preferable avoided. At the same time, there are opportunities to create energy-efficient aquaculture systems, even if solar cells cannot provide all the energy needed.
The example of an independent solar-powered oyster farm in Australia shows that the use of energy-efficient water aerators and LED lights reduced the energy use by 30%. The pumps used by the project operate with little or no greenhouse gas emissions, maintaining a high level of energy saving. At the same time, the reduced use of energy guarantees that the oyster farm does not need to use these pumps in the off-hours, maintaining high productivity levels.
Systems for continuous energy creation
Energy needs to be provided continuously for the overall system to work, which is especially important in the case of aquaculture. Systems need to be created in such a way so that a disruption in energy provision is minimal. On the other hand, even in situations in which a certain level of energy use is unavoidable, it needs to be utilized as efficiently as possible. An oyster farm in Australia is an example of the beneficial impact of energy efficiency in action, with the energy savings attributed to the installation of solar cells, water aerators, and lighting. On the other hand, sensors providing information to project stakeholders need to run frequently in order to provide accurate information. Ways to integrate water sampling and sensor data would allow predictions to be run during the day, and the information used in the latter stages, while some of the maintenance can occur at night, which would allow for further energy savings.
Economies of Scale
Larger Solar Infrastructure
As operations get larger, solar infrastructure yields a lower cost per unit due to economies of scale. The larger the solar installation is, the less each kilowatt-hour costs to generate. This is due to a lower per-kilowatt price for the materials and the more efficient use of the installation crews. For example, a large-scale tilapia farm in Brazil reduced the cost of a kilowatt-hour by 20% through an increase in the panels used from a 1,000 to a 5,000 square meter area installation. The lower costs of the panels and the installation generated most of the savings, with other costs increasing somewhat due to the increases in scale.
Centralized Management Systems
IoT technology combined with the overall reduction in the cost of monitoring systems in other industries have led to centralized management systems that can monitor and control the equipment at all of a farm’s different aquaculture sites, its solar farm, and other operations at a reduced cost. These large farms operate over many sites and the more efficient staffing at a central control location tends to reduce labor costs and improve operational procedures by managing several different sites simultaneously. For example, a catfish farm in Mississippi has a centralized system that eliminates most operational costs and can operate at just 85% of the cost of other farms.
Bulk Procurement
Bulk procurement of both the solar equipment and the aquaculture supplies has led to farms that manage larger operations being more cost-efficient. These terms are often not available to the smaller farms and have required the formation of strategic partnerships. A group of shrimp farms in Vietnam now all negotiate together for price discounts from both the shrimp feed and the solar panels. The savings have reached 25% on feed and 17% on the solar panels.
Advanced Data Analytics
At a larger scale, aquaculture operations are able to use advanced data analytics to manage the operations at each farm. By implementing these systems, energy costs can be further decreased through more efficient use of the solar panels and energy use generally. Implementing advanced analytics on aquaculture operations also increases feed conversion ratios and ensures higher overall management performance. For example, a cooperative in Norway now cuts its feeding waste by 30% using machine learning models for optimal feeding for multiple species operations.
Shared Services
Shared services at both the administrative and operations level reduce costs for aquaculture farm sites across varying locations. For example, a barramundi farm in Australia shares its maintenance team across three sites, bringing down the maintenance costs by 20%. Staff training also tends to cost less because of economies of scale when the training is shared.
