Unraveling the effects of lake-surface environment on floating photovoltaic electricity generation in Southeast Asia

SummaryFloating photovoltaic (FPV) plants present several benefits in comparison with ground-mounted photovoltaics (PVs) and could have major positive environmental and technical impacts globally. FPVs do not occupy habitable and productive areas and can be deployed in degraded environments and reduce land-use conflicts. Saving water through mitigating evaporation and improving water security in arid regions combined with the flexibility for deployment on different water bodies including drinking water reservoirs are other advantages of FPVs. They also have higher efficiency than ground-mounted PV solar and are compatible with the existing hydropower infrastructures, which supports diversifying the energy supply and its resilience. Despite the notable growth of FPVs on an international scale, lack of supporting policies and development roadmaps by the governments could hinder FPVs’ sustainable growth. Long-term reliability of the floating structures is also one of the existing concerns that if not answered could limit the expansion of this emerging technology.

Floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems are increasingly deployed on gravel pit lakes to generate renewable energy and mitigate land-use conflicts. However, their environmental impacts on hydrological and ecological processes remain insufficiently studied. This study investigates the effects of a 1.5-MWp FPV system covering 8% of a 19-ha gravel pit lake in Germany. The General Lake Model (GLM-AED2) and Delft3D-FLOW were used to simulate FPV-induced changes. Meteorological data—including irradiance, air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity—were recorded above and below the PV modules. Water quality data—including water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, dissolved organic carbon, and chlorophyll-a—were collected beneath the FPV and in open water. Mussel colonisation of the FPV substructure was assessed, and its filtration impact on water quality analysed. Macrophyte distribution was assessed beneath the FPV system and along the shorelines. Results showed a modelled 88% solar irradiance and 57% wind speed reduction beneath the FPV system. Water quality impacts were minimal and primarily influenced by mussels colonising the substructure. Macrophytes occurred in littoral zones up to 5.25 m deep up to 5.25 m deep, but habitat-typical species were scarce due to gravel extraction and herbivorous fish. These findings highlight complex interactions between FPV, mussel filtration, macrophytes, and human activities, suggesting that other anthropogenic factors may outweigh FPV impacts. Model simulations indicated that FPV coverage above 45% could destabilise thermal stratification and alter primary production. This study underscores the need for empirical monitoring and modelling to optimise FPV deployment and inform regulatory frameworks for sustainable development.

Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) power plant on any water body is a Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) plant that is installed on water, instead of land. The water body may be lake, pond, river, canal etc. This paper attempts to calculate and compare energy generation from 1 MW SPV and FPV power plants at Jodhpur city in India using Excel spreadsheet. FPV power plant has numerous advantages over SPV plant. Some of them are: i) Higher electrical energy generation due to low module temperature; ii) Reduction in water evaporation from the water body and thereby conserving valuable potable water; iii) No land requirement for installing the power plant as FPV system floats on the water; and iv) Reduction in the length of power transmission lines as water bodies such as ponds are always close to inhabited areas. However, cost of installation of FPV increases due to need of floating platform on the water body. The solar radiation data for Jodhpur city are taken from National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) Wind-Solar data portal. The annual global horizontal radiation for the period of January 01st, 2016 to December 31st, 2016 is estimated as 1.98 MWh/m2. The annual performance ratio and capacity utilization factor for 1 MW SPV are estimated as 79.52% and 19.11% respectively. The annual performance ratio and capacity utilization factor for 1 MW FPV are estimated as 81.49% and 19.58% respectively. 1 MW FPV could save 191.174 million litres of water from being evaporated annually. FPV system compared to SPV system is found to have 2.48% higher energy generation annually with 14.56% reduction in average module temperature.

In recent years, floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems have emerged as a promising technology for generating renewable energy using the surface of water bodies such as reservoirs, lakes, and oceans. FPV systems offer several advantages over traditional land-based solar arrays, including increased land-use efficiency, reduced water evaporation, and improved cooling and maintenance. However, like all solar power systems, FPVs are subject to variability and intermittency due to changes in weather, seasons, and time of day. The environmental impact is discussed along with the deployment consideration and the feasibility for a better understanding of the system. Challenges associated with this are addressed by progressed research suggesting the integration of FPVs with various energy storage and hybrid systems. The most promising areas researched in this paper look at hybrid FPV hydropower plants (HPP), in parts of the world experiencing droughts HPP is not working to its optimum capacity. A review of available literature has been conducted on the topic of offshore and onshore floating solar electricity generation using floating solar photovoltaics to identify the challenges and opportunities presented. This work looks at a variety of other hybrid FPV energy sources with varying technology readiness levels. This paper concludes with the possibility of integrating different renewable technologies with existing FPVs and highlights the boons of doing so with some examples. Ultimately, current as well as future perspectives have been provided which consolidate the current research being done and give recommendations for future research work.

The global demand for sustainable energy solutions has caused research into innovative technology that utilizes renewable resources. Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) systems have emerged as a viable option for optimizing solar energy output. Despite Malaysia's plentiful water resources and rising energy demand, there is limited literature on FPV studies in Malaysia. This paper presents a comprehensive approach to assessing Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) systems on reservoirs in Malaysia, addressing the gap in localized feasibility studies for such installations. The study evaluates the technical, environmental and geographical viability of FPV systems using PVsyst software, a widely recognized platform for modelling solar energy systems. A feasibility study examines the prospective of 14 dams across Malaysia and 3 were selected which is Sungai Selangor Dam, Babagon Dam and Bakun Dam based on crucial factor such as solar irradiance, weather patterns and topographical features. The findings reveal the potential for an average annual energy generation of 85,000 MWh to achieve a performance ratio of Malaysian standard version 2018 above 75% along with a significant environmental impact including an estimated reduction of 237,081.71 tons of CO₂ emissions each year. This research emphasizes the need for FPV designs that are specifically tailored to the unique characteristics of Malaysian reservoirs, to maximize energy output and minimize ecological impact. The results provide valuable insights for policymakers, investors and energy developers, offering a practical tool to support the adoption of FPV technology. By demonstrating both energy and environmental advantages, this study contributes to Malaysia’s renewable energy objectives and supports the global shift toward sustainable energy solutions.

Evaluating the potential benefits of float solar photovoltaics through the water footprint recovery period

Ethiopia is well endowed with solar energy resources with daily average radiation ranging from 4.5 to 7.5 kWh/m2/day. The significant electricity consumption of the country is reliant on hydropower. This dependence on hydropower makes the country susceptible to weather and climate changes, such as droughts, which can lead to reduced water levels in hydropower reservoir and reduced electricity generation. The application of solar floating photovoltaic (FPV) in the existing hydro reservoir would provide solar electric power to support hydropower generation especially during dry periods, and decrease evaporation losses. This implementation also has the cascading effect of increasing the solar power generation from the PV system by reducing the panel temperature through efficiency gain while saving the land requirement for installing the same PV system. Especially for countries like Ethiopia where agriculture is the key source of economy, optimal usage of land is very important. Thus, in this research, a techno-economic comparative analysis of 4MW Grid-tied FPV and ground-mounted PV system on Gilgel gibe I reservoir in Ethiopia for supplying the auxiliary load of the generation plant is done. The results showed that the proposed FPV system has 6.9% more electricity generating capacity than land-mounted PV system and saves 74,400m3 of water from evaporation annually. The FPV plant will also save the land cost burden, and results the levelized cost of energy (COE) 0.043$/kWh, which is 15.7 % less than land-mounted PV systems. In another way, the proposed FPV system indicated a positive impact on the environment by reducing 993 tons of greenhouse gas emission annually. Thus this research results will offer a clear directions for the concerned stockholders to implement FPV technology on the Ethiopian hydro reservoirs.

The floating photovoltaic (FPV) system is a revolutionary power production technology that has gotten a lot of interest because of its many benefits. Aside from generating electricity, the technology can also prevent the evaporation of water. The electrical and mechanical structures of FPV power stations must be studied to develop them. Much research on FPV technologies has already been undertaken, and these systems have been evaluated from many perspectives. Many problems, including environmental degradation and electricity generation, fertile soils, and water management, are currently limiting societal growth. Floating photovoltaic (PV) devices save a great of land and water resources and have a greater energy conversion efficiency than standard ground power systems. A performance investigation of photovoltaic (PV) installations set on a moving platform is carried out. The paper presents and discusses various design alternatives for boosting the profitability and efficiency of floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems. Especially, FPV systems that take advantage of increasing capabilities like monitoring, conditioning, and attention were included. Although researchers have agreed on the benefits of floating systems, there has been little in-depth research on the parameters of floating photovoltaic systems. The results of this research tests were performed, and these reveal that the beneficial monitoring and conditioning impacts result in a significant gain in performance. The effects of using flat reflections on improvements are also investigated. As a result, this research examines the evolution of photovoltaic systems, then investigates the power generation capacity of floating photovoltaic systems, and then examines the benefits and possibilities of floating PV systems in depth. The concept of developing an integrated air storage system using a floating building on waters is discussed.

A review on floating photovoltaic (FPV) power generation units

Photovoltaic(PV) power plants are growing all over the world as a promising renewable alternative to generate electricity. Floating PV(FPV) systems have been researched as a new concept in PV industry to mitigate negative environmental impacts instead of installing conventional PV facilities on land. It is well-known(commonly understood) that the efficiency of FPV is higher than that of ground mounted one due to the water cooling effect. However, there are not many sufficient and numerical supporting data to prove the cooling effect to of (over) FPV. Both two FPV sites in Hapcheon-dam and three ground-mounted PV sites near Hapcheon-dam are selected to compare their efficiency with three methods. The three solar radiation sources are analyzed by statistical methods, one of which is selected to use. The selected radiation is applied to evaluate the efficiency of both FPV and ground PV from 2013 to 2018.

Floating photovoltaic in Chile: Potential for clean energy generation and water protection

Electricity generation from utility-scale solar facilities is projected to grow to between 5 and 16 TWh by 2050 in Aotearoa–New Zealand. The floating photovoltaic (FPV) technology is considered a viable option for the country, because of the good solar resource at existing hydropower schemes. This paper aims to inform the understanding of the economic feasibility of FPV systems through the analysis of specific cases – Maraetai Dam and Lake Tekapo. To do so, the solar resource and FPV outputs are obtained through the modelling of Solargis and using industry standard technical specification. As well as the normal uncertainties associated with (potential) FPV performance evaluations, the influence of water temperature is also considered. The overall FPV output is estimated to be between 1,115 and 1,497 kWh/kWp. Using available Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) costs, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) metric, for a 10 MW installation, is determined to be between NZ$176 and NZ$237 per MWh, with total electricity generation over 25 years between 263 and 353 GWh. In order to reach the required LCOE value of less than NZ$100/MWh for utility scale generation, the EPC costs will have to be reduced by a factor of 2 to around NZ$1,500/kWp.

India has a huge energy demand, and renewable energy is the most promising solution for meeting this demand. Solar energy is a promising renewable energy resource that is clean, eco-friendly, and abundant in nature. India is endowed with a vast amount of solar energy potential. Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) is predicted to be a better form of solar energy, which is reliable, affordable, and sustainable. It potentially solves land scarcity and cost because it can be constructed over any stable water surface like a lake, pond, reservoir, river, etc. Moreover, it generates more amount of power because of the cooling effect of water. The FPV technology has still not realized its potential in developing countries like India. This study aims to calculate and compare the energy generation, performance ratio, capacity utilization factor, cost analysis, evaporation reduction, and greenhouse gas emissions for 1 MW FPV and 1 MW Ground-mounted Photovoltaic (GPV) at Visakhapatnam city in India. The electricity generation from the FPV system is estimated to be 1.5%-3% higher than the GPV system. 1 MW FPV system could save 42 million liters of water from evaporation annually. The cost of electricity for floating solar is 4.1 INR/kWh, which is slightly higher than ground-mounted systems. This study highlights the advantages of using the FPV system over the GPV system in energy generation, water-saving, and efficiency.

Recent technical advancements, economics and environmental impacts of floating photovoltaic solar energy conversion systems

Floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems, also called floatovoltaics, are a rapidly growing emerging technology application in which solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are sited directly on water. The water-based configuration of FPV systems can be mutually beneficial: Along with providing such benefits as reduced evaporation and algae growth, it can lower PV operating temperatures and potentially reduce the costs of solar energy generation. Although there is growing interest in FPV, to date there has been no systematic assessment of technical potential in the continental United States. We provide the first national-level estimate of FPV technical potential using a combination of filtered, large-scale datasets, site-specific PV generation models, and geospatial analytical tools. We quantify FPV co-benefits and siting considerations, such as land conservation, coincidence with high electricity prices, and evaporation rates. Our results demonstrate the potential of FPV to contribute significantly to the U.S. electric sector, even using conservative assumptions. A total of 24 419 man-made water bodies, representing 27% of the number and 12% of the area of man-made water bodies in the contiguous United States, were identified as being suitable for FPV generation. FPV systems covering just 27% of the identified suitable water bodies could produce almost 10% of current national generation. Many of these eligible bodies of water are in water-stressed areas with high land acquisition costs and high electricity prices, suggesting multiple benefits of FPV technologies.