date-created: '2026-06-03'
date-updated: '2026-09-16'
manifest-author:
    name: Appropedia
    email: admin@appropedia.org
title: 'Design and thermal-energy performance analysis of foam-based floating photovoltaic systems in a cold climate: experimental results from a 7 kW floatovoltaics in Canada'
description: 'Floating photovoltaics (FPV), or floatovoltaics, offers several synergistic benefits over land-based PV, but has not been investigated for cold climates. This study introduces a 7 kW semi-flexible monocrystalline foam-backed FPV system operating on a pond in the cold climate of Ontario Canada and equipped with an air bubbler system for ice prevention. The system is monitored using an open source data acquisition platform that records meteorological variables, water and module temperatures, electrical output and high resolution imagery in both summer and winter conditions. A comparison of measured FPV temperatures with those simulated by previous models revealed a notable discrepancy during the winter season. A regression model developed in this study indicated that the foam-based FPV system generated 7.7.'
intended-use: 'renewable energy'
keywords:
    - 'Distributed Generation'
    - 'Solar energy'
    - 'renewable energy'
    - Photovoltaic
    - 'Floating photovoltaic'
    - 'Solar photovoltaic'
    - Floatovoltaics
    - FPV
    - Off-grid
    - 'Northern climate'
project-link: 'https://www.appropedia.org/Design_and_thermal-energy_performance_analysis_of_foam-based_floating_photovoltaic_systems_in_a_cold_climate:_experimental_results_from_a_7_kW_floatovoltaics_in_Canada'
contact:
    name: 'User:J.M.Pearce'
    social:
        platform: Appropedia
        user-handle: 'User:J.M.Pearce'
version: 7
development-stage: Designed
made: false
image: 'https://www.appropedia.org/w/images/thumb/b/b6/7kw-fpv.svg/1280px-7kw-fpv.svg.png'
license:
    documentation: CC-BY-SA-4.0
licensor:
    name: 'User:J.M.Pearce'
    affliation: FAST
    contact: 'https://www.appropedia.org/User:J.M.Pearce'
documentation-home: 'https://www.appropedia.org/Design_and_thermal-energy_performance_analysis_of_foam-based_floating_photovoltaic_systems_in_a_cold_climate:_experimental_results_from_a_7_kW_floatovoltaics_in_Canada'
documentation-language: en