Everyone is talking about a new study that makes the case for putting more floating solar arrays on existing hydropower dams instead of blocking up global water systems with a torrent of new hydropower dams. And to think, nobody had even heard about floating solar just a few years ago. Nevertheless, the floating solar field is growing quickly, and it could provide for additional grid benefits as well as ecosystem conservation, too.
The research team reached a definitive answer on that score. “…we show that the same capital investment earmarked for planned dams in the Zambezi watercourse could be used more efficiently by building fewer reservoirs and substituting the energy supply with FPV ,” they stated. Floating solar was still a new field at the time, and pairing it with hydropower seemed like a daunting task challenge.have to be waterproofed and storm-proofed. In addition, their supporting and mooring structures also need to address changes in water levels, from daily to seasonal cycles. Deep water and steeply sloping walls can present additional obstacles.
Reducing evaporation and shielding the aquatic ecosystem from an overabundance of sunshine are two important side benefits. Since hydropower plants are already equipped with transmission lines, the need for new transmission infrastructure is also minimized. Issued in 2020, the NREL report took a look at 379,068 existing hydropower reservoirs around the world and estimated a potential output of up to 10,600 terawatt-hours of electricity with floating solar. That’s in addition to the electricity generated from hydropower turbines.