# Waterborne Solar Arrays Solar-Powered Winery Uses Floating Power Panels (UPDATE) By Katie Cordrey | Published 2010-04-26 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/floating-power-panels References: [smartplanet](http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/smart-takes/solar-that-floats-on-water/6238/) & [altenerg](http://www.altenerg.com/index.php?content_id=84) In order to preserve precious farmland for farming and still take advantage of California's sunny skies for solar power generation, [Far Niente Winery](http://www.farniente.com/weblog_detail.html?ID=88) in Oakville, Napa Valley, installed floating power panels for a photovoltaic solar-power generation system on the winery's gray water irrigation pond. Nearly 1,000 floating power panels are mounted on pontoons in the irrigation pond. Another 300 panels are land-mounted. The entire system has a peak production capacity of 477 kilowatts. In addition to preserving farmland, the waterborne installation prevents pond evaporation and algae bloom and has reduced a $270,000 annual energy bill to [zero](http://www.onlinetes.com/tes-0310-sound-investment-solar.aspx). Back in 2008, Trend Hunter told you about the floatovoltaic installation at this [Solar Powered Winery](http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/an-entire-winery-powered-by-a-floatovoltaic-solar-array). We thought you'd like to see more detailed information and know how its all been working out. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.2/10 - Popularity: 55% | Activity: 94% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Waterborne Solar Arrays:** Innovative installation of solar panels on water bodies for efficient power production and utilization. - **Floatovoltaic Systems:** Increasing trend of installing solar panels on water bodies for maximum land utilization and lower energy costs. - **Gray Water Reuse:** Growing trend of installing solar panels on gray water irrigation ponds to reduce energy bills while saving farmland. ### Who This Affects Most - **Renewable Energy:** Opportunity for companies to develop and market innovative solutions for efficient renewable energy production. - **Agriculture:** Opportunity for farmers and agribusinesses to optimize land usage and reduce energy bills by installing solar panels on irrigation ponds. - **Construction:** Opportunity for construction companies to develop and implement waterborne solar array systems for commercial and industrial buildings. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Tire-Crafted Solar Stills](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/floating-solar-still.md) - [Consolidated Photovoltaic Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/photovoltaic-systems.md) - [Solar-Powered Electric Boats](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solarpowered-electric-boat.md) - [Solar-Powered Compact Houseboats](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fng-sng.md) - [Solar Panel-Covered Boat Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ms-porrima-concept-boat.md) - [Heritage Building-Blending Solar Panels](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/invisible-solar.md) - [Sustainable Solar-Powered Beers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oakham-sun-city.md) - [Solar-Powered Pool Sanitizers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solar-pool-ionizer.md) - [Balcony-Ready Solar Power Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ecoflow-powerstream.md)