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The world is transitioning towards a net zero emissions future and solar energy is at the forefront of the transition. The land use requirements to install solar farms present a barrier for the industry as population density increases and land prices rise. Floating photovoltaics (FPV) addresses this issue by installing solar photovoltaics (PV) on bodies of water. Globally, installed FPV is increasing and becoming a viable option for many countries. A 1% coverage of global reservoirs with FPV would have a potential capacity of 404GWp benign power production. There are numerous advantages to FPV compared to ground mounted PV (GPV), which are discussed in this review. The major gap in research is the impact FPV has on water quality and living organisms in the bodies of water. This review paper examines the most recent research around FPV, analyzing the benefits, downfalls, and future. The review provides more insight into FPV in terms of varying water bodies that can be used, system efficiency, global potential, and potential for coupling FPV with other technologies.

Floating photovoltaic solar energy installations (FPVs) represent a new type of water surface use, potentially sparing land needed for agriculture and conservation. However, standardized metrics for the land sparing and resource use efficiencies of FPVs are absent. These metrics are critical to understanding the environmental and ecological impacts that FPVs may potentially exhibit. Here, we compared techno-hydrological and spatial attributes of four FPVs spanning different climatic regimes. Next, we defined and quantified the land sparing and water surface use efficiency (WSUE) of each FPV. Lastly, we coined and calculated the water surface transformation (WST) using generation data at the world’s first FPV (Far Niente Winery, California). The four FPVs spare 59,555 m2 of land and have a mean land sparing ratio of 2.7:1 m2 compared to ground-mounted PVs. Mean direct and total capacity-based WSUE is 94.5 ± 20.1 SD Wm−2 and 35.2 ± 27.4 SD Wm−2, respectively. Direct and total generation-based WST at Far Niente is 9.3 and 13.4 m2 MWh−1 yr−1, respectively; 2.3 times less area than ground-mounted utility-scale PVs. Our results reveal diverse techno-hydrological and spatial attributes of FPVs, the capacity of FPVs to spare land, and the utility of WSUE and WST metrics.

In an era of looming land scarcity and environmental degradation, the development of low carbon energy systems without adverse impacts on land and land-based resources is a global challenge. 'Floatovoltaic' energy systems-comprising floating photovoltaic (PV) panels over water-are an appealing source of low carbon energy as they spare land for other uses and attain greater electricity outputs compared to land-based systems. However, to date little is understood of the impacts of floatovoltaics on the hosting water body. Anticipating changes to water body processes, properties and services owing to floatovoltaic deployment represents a critical knowledge gap that may result in poor societal choices and water body governance. Here, we developed a theoretically-derived hierarchical effects framework for the assessment of floatovoltaic impacts on freshwater water bodies, emphasising ecological interactions. We describe how the presence of floatovoltaic systems may dramatically alter the air-water interface, with subsequent implications for surface meteorology, air-water fluxes and physical, chemical and biological properties of the recipient water body. We apply knowledge from this framework to delineate three response typologies-'magnitude', those for which the direction and magnitude of effect can be predicted; 'direction', those for which only the direction of effect can be predicted; and 'uncertain', those for which the response cannot be predicted-characterised by the relative importance of levels in the effects hierarchy. Illustrative decision trees are developed for an example water body response within each typology, specifically, evaporative water loss, cyanobacterial biomass, and phosphorus release from bed sediments, and implications for ecosystem services, including climate regulation, are discussed. Finally, the potential to use the new understanding of likely ecosystem perturbations to direct floatovoltaic design innovations and identify future research priorities is outlined, showcasing how inter-sectoral collaboration and environmental science can inform and optimise this low carbon, land-sparing renewable energy for ecosystem gains.

Population of India is growing exponentially thereby the necessity to enhance the power generation capacity is increasing. Considering the detrimental impacts of conventional approaches to generate electricity on the environment, it is imperative to minimize the dependency on fossil fuels and make a transition towards the use of renewable sources. Harnessing energy using floating solar photovoltaic modules is one of the promising renewable alternatives that can curtail carbon-dioxide emissions while meeting the required energy demand. In this study, governing parameters obtained from ECMWF ERA5 datasets are used to evaluate techno-economic feasibility of the floatovoltaic solar system at selected locations in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The suitability of these regions for installing floatovoltaic systems is assessed by analyzing crucial parameters such as panel temperature, solar power output, Capacity Factor (CF) and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). Findings depict that a total of 991 and 880 TWh of electricity can be generated with a capacity factor of 26.9% and 23.8% at Gujarat and Tamil Nadu locations, respectively, with an installed capacity of 420 MW floatovoltaic system. Implementation of this alternative renewable source can curtail carbon emissions by more than 700 billion metric tons at each location, minimizing the detrimental impact on the environment. Economic analysis reveals LCOE value at the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu locations is 0.072 and 0.08 USD/kWh, respectively. Promoting the adoption and installation of floatovoltaics can help India to meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 and be self-sufficient in terms of energy.

Background Climate change and the current phase-out of fossil fuel-fired power generation are currently expanding the market of renewable energy and more especially photovoltaic (PV) panels. Contrary to other types of renewable energies, such as wind and hydroelectricity, evidence on the effects of PV panels on biodiversity has been building up only fairly recently. PV panels have been linked to substantial impacts on species and ecosystems, the first and most obvious one being the degradation of natural habitats but they may also lead to mortality of individuals and displacements of populations. Hence, we propose a systematic map aiming to draw a comprehensive panorama of the available knowledge on the effects of photovoltaic and solar thermal (PVST) installations, whatever their scales (i.e. cells, panels, arrays, utility-scale facilities), on terrestrial and semi-aquatic species and natural/semi-natural habitats and ecosystems. This work aims at providing decision-makers with a better understanding of the effects of PVST installations and, therefore, help them further protect biodiversity while also mitigating anthropogenic climate change. Methods We will follow the collaboration for environmental evidence guidelines and search for relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature in English or French. The search string will combine population (all wild terrestrial and semi-aquatic species—e.g. animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms—as well as natural/semi-natural terrestrial habitats and ecosystems) and exposure/intervention (all technologies of PVST panels at all scales of installations and therefore excluding concentrated solar power) terms. A pre-built test list of relevant articles will be used to assess the comprehensiveness of the search string. Extracted citations will be screened at title and full-text stages thanks to pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Accepted citations will then be split into studies and observations, from which relevant metadata (e.g. taxon, exposure/intervention, outcome) will be extracted and their internal validity assessed through a critical appraisal. The database will be accessible alongside a map report which will draw a landscape of eligible studies. By describing studied populations, exposures/interventions, outcomes and internal study validity results, the report will identify potential knowledge clusters and gaps regarding the effects of PVST installations on biodiversity and ecosystems.

A potential solution to the coupled water–energy–food challenges in land use is the concept of floating photovoltaics or floatovoltaics (FPV). In this study, a new approach to FPV is investigated using a flexible crystalline silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) module backed with foam, which is less expensive than conventional pontoon-based FPV. This novel form of FPV is tested experimentally for operating temperature and performance and is analyzed for water-savings using an evaporation calculation adapted from the Penman–Monteith model. The results show that the foam-backed FPV had a lower operating temperature than conventional pontoon-based FPV, and thus a 3.5% higher energy output per unit power. Therefore, foam-based FPV provides a potentially profitable means of reducing water evaporation in the world’s at-risk bodies of fresh water. The case study of Lake Mead found that if 10% of the lake was covered with foam-backed FPV, there would be enough water conserved and electricity generated to service Las Vegas and Reno combined. At 50% coverage, the foam-backed FPV would provide over 127 TWh of clean solar electricity and 633.22 million m3 of water savings, which would provide enough electricity to retire 11% of the polluting coal-fired plants in the U.S. and provide water for over five million Americans, annually.

This study provides evaluation of floating photovoltaics (PV) in the Brazil tropical climate and discusses the specific technical and environmental benefits and limitations. This paper develops a model simulating the annual performance of the photovoltaic generator of a floating photovoltaic plant as a function of a given conditions. The reference is a 1.2-MWp floating-PV system commissioned in 2023 near the city of Grão Mogol, Brazil, in the reservoir of the PCH Santa Marta hydropower plant. The influence of the ambient meteorological and marine parameters on the PV module temperature, current, voltage, and power were evaluated. The simulation uses a reference crystalline-Si PV module and the Engineering Equation Solver (EES). Relevant experimental data, including incident solar radiation, ambient temperature, and wind speed were used as input data for the model. The effect of these parameters on the thermal end electrical parameters was assessed. Although small variations were found throughout the year, significant hourly and daily variations were observed, depending on solar irradiation and ambient and resulting module surface temperatures. The voltage at the maximum power decreases with the increase of the solar module surface temperature. The convective heat transfer rates are higher than the radiative heat transfer rates. This study provides a first-time complete energy and exergy analysis of a floating PV system (FPVS) incorporating the various heat transfer rates, electrical and irradiance parameters, under climate and meteorological conditions for this Brazil location.