# Google Summer Of Code 2024
```{post} 2024-05-24
:author: Ioannis Sifnaios
:tags: pvlib, solar, open science, gsoc
```

I am happy to announce that for the summer of 2024, I will be participating in the [Google Summer of Code (GSoC)](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/about/), where I will be working on a project titled *Floating Solar - Enabling modeling of floating PV with pvlib*. As part of my project, I will be adding floating PV temperature models in the [pvlib python’s library](https://pvlib-python.readthedocs.io/en/stable/).
![gsoc and pvlib logo](/images/gsoc_at_pvlib.png)

I am very excited to work on this project since floating PV is an up-and-coming technology with several benefits compared to land-based PV, e.g., improved land use, reduced water evaporation, and enhanced energy production. However, accurate performance modeling of floating PV is a bit of a tricky business because the panels are placed on water. 

Thankfully, multiple research groups have tried to tackle this issue, and they have come up with various models and approaches for estimating the yield of floating PV farms. However, these functions are not available in pvlib python (or any other commercial or open-source software). But this is about to change!


## What is Google Summer of Code?
Google Summer of Code is a global, online program aiming to bring new contributors into open-source software development. As the name suggests, it is facilitated by Google (although Google is not directly involved with the project). During the program, students are guided by mentors from a pre-qualified open-source organization on a specific project.

I am lucky enough to be mentored by two of the core pvlib developers, [Adam R. Jensen](https://github.com/AdamRJensen) and [Kevin Anderson](https://github.com/kandersolar), who I would like to thank for the time they will dedicate into this project. The plan is to interact with them on a weekly basis, trying to learn as much as possible! 

If you're interested, you can find my official GSoC project abstract [here](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/programs/2024/projects/Z32UN1Qx).

## What’s next?
My plan is to post my progress on the project weekly. So, if you are interested in modeling floating PV, stay tuned!