D3 Energy has brought floating solar to Universal Orlando Resort, announcing the completion of a 250 kW system located at the park\u2019s entrance and branded with the logo of Comcast, Universal\u2019s parent company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 645-panel installation covers roughly half an acre of the retention pond\u2019s surface and is anchored to the bottom of the pond, which is 35 feet deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The installation\u2019s prominent Comcast logo was created using a product called SolarSkin developed by Sistine Solar. According to the Boston-based tech startup, SolarSkin is a customizable graphic overlay that can be imprinted with any artwork and applied to solar arrays without affecting the efficiency of the modules underneath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project\u2019s developer, D3 Energy, occupies an interesting and underdeveloped aspect of the U.S. solar industry: floating PV. Three years ago, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated that installing floating solar photovoltaics on the more than 24,000 man-made U.S. reservoirs could generate about 10% of the nation\u2019s annual electricity production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D3 Energy has also developed floating PV projects at the Altamonte Springs Water Facility in Altamonte Springs, Florida, the Orlando International Airport, the Orlando Utilities Operation Facility, and the Miami International Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n