Floating solar | Going with the flow The potential for floating solar projects is being studied worldwide
Right: There has been rapid global deployment of floating solar photovoltaics
IN THE FACE OF climate change, the growth of solar photovoltaics has consistently exceeded all projections, and is predicted to be the dominant renewable energy source by 2050. However, with increasing land-use pressures and the expense of building-mounted photovoltaics, water surfaces are now increasingly being exploited to host these technologies. The rapid growth of solar energy has been attributed
Below: Solar project in Indonesia. Although forecast to be the dominant renewable energy source by 2050, increasing land-use pressure has led to increasing exploitation of water surfaces for solar projects
to its cost effectiveness and global nature, along with is flexibility in deployment. These advantages have also driven rapid deployment of floating solar photovoltaics (FPVs) around the world in recent years, particularly on artificial water bodies. Such growth is anticipated to continue, capitalising on the estimated 5Mkm2 Earth’s surface area covered by lakes and reservoirs.
of
To date though, as recent research by Woolway et al states, a lack of understanding about the global potential of FPVs has meant there isn’t sufficient insight to guide future deployment. However, as new research from the team from the universities of Bangor and Lancaster in the UK, and their Chinese colleagues estimate, there’s 14,906TWh of potential for floating solar photovoltaics on over one million water bodies worldwide. And with a conservative 10% surface area coverage, floating solar photovoltaics could produce sufficient energy to contribute an average 16% of some countries’ electricity demands. As the researchers caution though, there are several
factors that must be considered when selecting appropriate locations for floating solar projects. The key constraints for a water body include:
36 | December 2024 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45
