Floating photovoltaics could limit Africa’s future reliance on hydro-generated energy

Floating photovoltaics (FPV), also called floating photo voltaic farms, are photovoltaic programs that may be deployed on the ocean’s floor or on different our bodies of water. Whereas their environmental affect continues to be the subject of debate worldwide, these programs may very well be extremely advantageous for producing renewable vitality, significantly in heat areas the place accessible land is scarce or pricey.

Researchers at Politecnico di Milano not too long ago carried out a examine exploring the potential of FPV programs for the long run provision of vitality in African international locations. Their paper, published in Nature Vitalitymeans that floating photo voltaic farms might show useful for limiting Africa’s reliance on hydropowerwhereas additionally probably providing a extra dependable provide of vitality.

“Our paper was inspired by the growing interest and potential of FPV as an emerging renewable energy technology, and the continued push for hydropower development in developing economies, particularly in Africa,” Wyatt Arnold, co-author of the paper, informed Tech Xplore.

“Despite the environmental and social risks associated with large hydroelectric dams, many countries are still planning significant hydropower expansions to meet their rapidly growing energy demands. We wanted to explore whether FPV could serve as a viable alternative or complement to these planned hydropower projects.”

The current examine by Arnold and his colleagues Matteo Giuliani and Andrea Castelletti had two key goals. The primary was to estimate the potential of FPV as a future supply of electrical energy in Africa, evaluating it to deliberate investments in hydropower.

Secondly, the researchers got down to examine the trade-offs and synergies between FPV and hydropower know-how at a system degree. Their evaluation centered on a particular river basin, particularly the Zambezi watercourse, contemplating the restrictions posed by native electrical energy grid operations and competing water useful resource calls for.

“We employed a multi-scale modeling approach,” Arnold defined. “Firstly, we considered FPV’s cost competitiveness within Africa’s future energy mix using a capacity expansion model (OSeMOSYS-TEMBA) covering the entire continent. This is an important step given the very large increase in projected electricity demand of many African countries over the 21st century and the transformation of its electricity system with a much larger share of variable renewable supply.”

To evaluate the trade-off between FPV and hydropower know-how at a system scale, the researchers carried out additional analyses specializing in the Zambezi watercourse. The Zambezi watercourse is a river basin that’s shared by a number of African international locations, the place governments are planning to construct varied dams for hydro-power era.

Arnold and his colleagues examined reservoir operations within the area and created fashions of the native electrical energy system. This allowed them to evaluate the potential of hydropower and FPV on this area, together with their potential for increasing vitality capability and trade-offs with different makes use of of water assets, equivalent to irrigation and environmental flows.

“One of the most notable contributions of our work is the quantitative, techno-economic assessment of FPV’s potential to contribute to Africa’s future electricity needs, in some cases matching or exceeding the expected output from planned hydropower dams,” Arnold mentioned. “This finding challenges the continued emphasis on hydropower expansion in many African countries and suggests that FPV could be a viable alternative with fewer environmental and social impacts.”

The outcomes of the system scale evaluation carried out by Arnold, Giuliani and Castelletti recommend that investing in FPV on present reservoirs alongside the Zambezi watercourse, whereas additionally constructing fewer dams, may very well be a greater funding of capital than the intensive improvement of hydropower. In comparison with dams, FPV have been discovered to be extra cost-efficient and sturdy to long-term environmental and hydrological modifications.

“FPV can also help offset potential hydropower losses when reservoirs are re-operated to prioritize other water resource objectives, enabling a more balanced approach to water resource management,” Arnold mentioned.

“The implications of our work are far-reaching, as it provides policymakers in developing economies with a comprehensive assessment of FPV’s potential and highlights its advantages over traditional hydropower development, particularly in terms of reduced environmental and social risks, increased resilience to hydrological variability, and more efficient use of capital investments.”

General, the analyses carried out by this staff of researchers recommend that floating photo voltaic farms might forestall African international locations from changing into over-reliant on hydro-power sooner or later, thus limiting related social, environmental, and monetary dangers. This key perception may inform future energy-related policymaking and investments in Africa, encouraging a shift in direction of FPV programs.

“In our next studies, we plan to explore the environmental implications of large-scale FPV adoption in river basins, including the effects on lake water quality and ecosystems,” Arnold added. “We also intend to further engage with stakeholders and policymakers through participatory processes to better understand the social and institutional barriers to FPV adoption and develop strategies to overcome them.”

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