Location is one of the most important factors when installing solar panels. The water flowing from these devices can improve some environments – one of China’s largest solar farms is greening the Qinghai desert, for example – but shade is the nemesis of solar panels. You’re not supposed to install PV systems near tall objects like towers because they can potentially block the panels, but what about transmission lines? The answer might be yes.
Energy company ISA Energia Brasil conducted a test in São Paulo, Brazil, to determine whether it could install solar panels near power lines. Of course, the study was designed to determine the impact of the shadow cast by transmission cables, as well as whether placing components next to each other caused electromagnetic field interference or affected operational compatibility.
Surprisingly, the study data showed that the solar panel installation experienced little interference and the shadow cast by power lines barely affected the panel’s performance. To be fair, though, ISA Energia Brasil didn’t use regular solar panels (the solar panels you install in your home). The company has built a “prototype solar panel factory” using high-efficiency panels. These photovoltaic systems could even absorb radiation reflected from nearby objects, but because the study was conducted in the real world rather than a laboratory environment, it’s hard to argue with the results.
A bright new future for solar energy
According to computer calculations by ISA Energia Brasil, a solar panel plant similar to the prototype used in the experiment could generate 1,746 MWh of energy per year (now imagine how much additional energy such a plant could provide if fossil fuels did not destroy solar energy). The main takeaway from this study is that the ground beneath power lines is an untapped resource that could solve many energy problems.
ISA Energia Brasil maintains approximately 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) of power lines – São Paulo alone occupies 16.2 million square meters (6.25 square miles) of associated security zones, suitable for solar power plants. The company believes it could install photovoltaic plants on these lands with minimal problems, supplementing the electricity already flowing through transmission lines with renewable energy.
Certainly, many power grids already transfer energy from solar plants to users, but they all share a common problem: These existing systems must carry electricity through long-distance transmission cables of limited capacity. The ISA Energia Brasil study demonstrates that power companies can potentially install miniature solar farms in front of many customers (figuratively if not literally), quickly providing the maximum amount of renewable energy. Additionally, such installations would help decarbonize Brazil’s electricity sector and could potentially do the same in other countries that adopt them.
