The latest research has revealed that floating solar photovoltaic panels have the potential to meet the entire electricity needs of certain countries. A study conducted by researchers from Bangor and Lancaster Universities and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology sought to assess the global capability for implementing low-carbon floating solar arrays.
Their calculations, based on climate data for nearly 68,000 lakes and reservoirs worldwide, indicated that floating photovoltaics (FPV) could generate approximately 1302 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity annually. This is four times the total annual electricity demand of the UK.
The researchers identified ideal locations for floating solar technology, such as lakes and reservoirs within 10km of population centers, not in protected areas, and with no more than six months of freezing a year. Their calculations were based on FPV covering just 10% of the surface area, up to a maximum of 30 km2.
With such promising figures, the development of FPV technology could play a significant role in meeting global energy needs in a sustainable manner.
FPV offers several advantages over land-based solar installations, including freeing up land for other purposes and maintaining cooler panels, which enhances efficiency.
Moreover, there is evidence suggesting additional environmental benefits, such as reducing water loss through evaporation and preventing algal blooms. However, further research is necessary to understand the overall environmental impact of FPV. The deployment of FPV should be carefully considered, taking into account the intended function of water bodies and potential ecological impact.
“We still don’t know exactly how floating panels might affect the ecosystem within a natural lake in different conditions and locations. However, the potential gain in energy generation from FPV is clear, so we need to put that research in place so this technology can be safely adopted. We chose 10% of a lake’s surface area as a likely safe level of deployment, but that might need to be reduced in some situations or could be higher in others,” said Dr. Iestyn Woolway of Bangor University and lead author of the paper.
When individual countries are taken into account, five nations have the potential to fulfill their entire electricity needs using FPV, with Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, and Rwanda among them. Additionally, Bolivia and Tonga could come very close, meeting 87% and 92% of their electricity demand, respectively.
Numerous countries, particularly in Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and Central Asia, could satisfy between 40% and 70% of their annual electricity demand through FPV. Even in Europe, Finland could fulfill 17% of its electricity demand from FPV, while Denmark could manage 7%.
In the UK, researchers found that FPV has the potential to generate 2.7 TWh of electricity annually. Though this amounts to just under 1% of overall electricity demand, it could power approximately one million homes, based on the current average household electricity usage as estimated by Ofgem.
Despite the limited number of FPV installations in the UK, it’s worth noting that the largest one at present is a 6.3MW floating solar farm situated on the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir near London.
“Even with the criteria we set to create a realistic scenario for deployment of FPV, there are benefits across the board, mainly in lower-income countries with high levels of sunshine, but also in Northern European countries as well. The criteria we chose were based on obvious exclusions, such as lakes in protected areas, but also on what might reduce the cost and risks of deployment,” Dr Woolway said.
Co-author Professor Alona Armstrong of Lancaster University said: “Our work shows there is much potential for FPV around the world. But deployments need to be strategic, considering the consequences for energy security, nature, and society, as well as Net Zero.”
Journal reference:
- R. Iestyn Woolway, Gang Zhao, Sofia Midauar Gondim Rocha, Stephen J. Thackeray & Alona Armstrong. Decarbonization potential of floating solar photovoltaics on lakes worldwide. Nature Water, 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00251-4