Picture from Inhabitat

A new sort of gigantic lilies could soon be floating on Glasgow’s River Clyde. The lilies belong to the solar family meaning they are actually solar pads designed to float in the river and soak up the sun’s rays and send electricity to the city’s grid.

The solar lily pads are designed by Scottish ZM Architecture and are one of the latest examples on new and spectacular technology that harvest green energy.
According to Peter Richardson from ZM Architecture the ‘lilies’ will also revitalize Glasgow’s urban waterfront and stimulate urban riverfront activity.

The solar lily pads are designed to be moved and dismantled easily as they are simply tethered to the river bed, with integrated motors used to rotate the discs for maximum exposure to sunlight throughout the day. Sounds like a very useful function considering that one often has to look around for the sunny spots in Glasgow!

Picture from Inhabitat

The floating solar pads have recently won 1st Prize in the International Design Awards (IDA) Land and Sea Competition and now Glasgow’s City Council is considering testing a small pilot project in conjunction with the Glasgow Science Centre.

Not only will the lily pads (hopefully) contribute with lots of green energy and make an old river look futuristic, they will also give Glasgow an innovate and eco-friendly image that can be difficult for other cities to subdue.
 

Written by David Rich Momondo