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https://freedium-mirror.cfd/https://medium.com/the-new-climate/china-has-scaled-floating-solar-pv-will-the-world-follow-ec8277b877ee>
“Have you heard the one about the reservoir in LA that was covered in 96
million black plastic balls? True story. Each ball cost 36 cents, costing the
city $300 million. A delighted Mayor Eric Garcetti — who released them at a
photocall in August 2015 with the cry of "balls away!" — told the news channel
KABC, "By reducing evaporation, these shade balls will conserve 300 million
gallons of water each year, instead of just evaporating into the sky." The
balls would last 10 years, before being recycled and replenished.
In fact, they were removed in under two years, in March 2017. During that time,
they
did prevent around 1.7 million cubic metres from evaporating (450
million gallons — so Garcetti was right). However research found that the oil,
natural gas and electricity used in the manufacture of the plastic balls would
have used around 2.9 million cubic metres of water, far more than was locally
saved. And much more has since been discovered about the breakdown of plastics
in water causing microplastic pollution. It was rightfully dubbed "a failed
experiment".
However, around the same time, other world regions were experimenting with
something much more sensible: covering water surfaces with solar panels.”
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
