Platform for Floating Solar-Powered Water Technologies

Access to clean, affordable water and energy is vital for a healthy population and economy. Access in the US is at risk due to drought conditions, industrial contamination, population growth, and the increasing cost of electricity to treat and distribute water. The objective of this project is to facilitate the rapid deployment of high value, distributed solar energy to lower the costs associated with water treatment and distribution. This goal is achieved through the development of a platform that enables up to 15% more energy production from floating solar systems, which can be used to directly power critical equipment for water treatment and distribution. Noriaĺs Platform converts high voltage DC energy from a floating solar system to a usable, low voltage for water technology at the project site, such as aerators or pumps. The Platform includes power electronics for converting the energy (known as the Noria Drive) and controls for operating the system. Phase I focused on evaluation of different aeration technologies and methods for controlling those aerators in real-life systems. It culminated in an off grid, pilot system to validate the Platform concept. During Phase II, Noria began development of the custom Drive hardware that can accommodate a larger number of water technologies into commercial-scale, grid-tied floating solar systems. The team successfully built alpha prototypes, conducted lab and outdoor testing, and will deploy a field demonstration of the technology by the end of Phase II. The focus of the Phase IIB project is to finish development, productize, and commercialize the Noria Drive to production on a pilot manufacturing line. The Noria Drive will be designed to be low-cost, versatile, reliable, and manufacturable at scale in the US. The team will demonstrate full functionality of the Noria Platform on a commercial FPV system and measure the impact that floating solar plus the Platform has on water quality of the host water body. Successful completion of the project will lower the levelized cost of energy for floating solar by an estimated 10%, expanding the current commercial potential of floating solar in the US by ~11 gigawatts. It will also bring to market the technology needed to utilize that low-cost solar energy for powering the US water sector at water bodies across the country. This combination of shared infrastructure and cheap energy from solar helps to lower the barrier for water body operators to maintain a reliable supply of clean water.