Current Photovoltaic Research ISSN:2288-3274(Print) 2508-125X(Online)

In this research, the concept of a salt farm parallel solar power system, which produce salt and electricity at the same site, is proposed for the first time in the world. The concept is that large waterproof plates made by interconnected solar modules are installed at the bottom of the salt farm. The pilot system was successfully installed at a sea shore, and verified its feasibility as a solar power plant. For deeper understanding, simulations for power prediction of the system were carried out and compared with the field test results. The power generation of the salt farm parallel system is comparable to conventional solar power plants. The cooling effect by sea water contributes more to the increase in the crystalline silicon photovoltaic module performance than the absorption loss due to sea water by maintaining certain height above the module.