IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v175y2021icp281-295.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Analysis of water environment on the performances of floating photovoltaic plants

Author

Listed:
  • Tina, Giuseppe Marco
  • Bontempo Scavo, Fausto
  • Merlo, Leonardo
  • Bizzarri, Fabrizio

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in Floating PV (FPV) plants thanks to their advantages compared with ground and rooftop PV systems, mainly related to very limited land use, evaporation reduction, and improvement of the energy performance. The PV modules installed on water surfaces have a natural cooling due to the microclimate in which they operate, which reduces thermal power losses. Furthermore, they can be equipped with simple and effective forced active water cooling systems which further improve FPVs performance. The objective of this study is to develop and validate mathematical models capable of estimating the performance of bifacial and monofacial PV modules installed on water surfaces. Starting from the energy balances of the PV modules, different scenarios are simulated, such as mono and bifacial systems installed on the rooftop, mono, and bifacial FPV systems in presence of natural (or passive) and forced (or active) cooling. The models are validated against experimental data acquired in FPV systems installed in the Enel Innovation Lab by Enel Green Power, Catania (Italy). The obtained results show an energy gain due to bifaciality of 5.24%. The passive cooling in the FPV increases the energy collected by 3% (maximum obtainable of 6.4%) and 2.6% for the bifacial and monofacial technology respectively. Active cooling in FPVs increases the collected energy by 9.7% (maximum achievable of 13.5%) and 9.5% for the bifacial and monofacial respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Tina, Giuseppe Marco & Bontempo Scavo, Fausto & Merlo, Leonardo & Bizzarri, Fabrizio, 2021. "Analysis of water environment on the performances of floating photovoltaic plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 281-295.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:175:y:2021:i:c:p:281-295
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.04.082
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148121006029
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2021.04.082?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tina, Giuseppe Marco & Bontempo Scavo, Fausto & Merlo, Leonardo & Bizzarri, Fabrizio, 2021. "Comparative analysis of monofacial and bifacial photovoltaic modules for floating power plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    2. Rusu, Liliana, 2019. "The wave and wind power potential in the western Black Sea," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1146-1158.
    3. Taboada, M.E. & Cáceres, L. & Graber, T.A. & Galleguillos, H.R. & Cabeza, L.F. & Rojas, R., 2017. "Solar water heating system and photovoltaic floating cover to reduce evaporation: Experimental results and modeling," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 601-615.
    4. Waithiru Charles Lawrence Kamuyu & Jong Rok Lim & Chang Sub Won & Hyung Keun Ahn, 2018. "Prediction Model of Photovoltaic Module Temperature for Power Performance of Floating PVs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-13, February.
    5. Lee, Nathan & Grunwald, Ursula & Rosenlieb, Evan & Mirletz, Heather & Aznar, Alexandra & Spencer, Robert & Cox, Sadie, 2020. "Hybrid floating solar photovoltaics-hydropower systems: Benefits and global assessment of technical potential," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1415-1427.
    6. Marino, C. & Nucara, A. & Panzera, M.F. & Pietrafesa, M. & Varano, V., 2019. "Energetic and economic analysis of a stand alone photovoltaic system with hydrogen storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 316-329.
    7. Baloch, Ahmer A.B. & Hammat, Said & Figgis, Benjamin & Alharbi, Fahhad H. & Tabet, Nouar, 2020. "In-field characterization of key performance parameters for bifacial photovoltaic installation in a desert climate," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 50-63.
    8. Guerrero-Lemus, R. & Vega, R. & Kim, Taehyeon & Kimm, Amy & Shephard, L.E., 2016. "Bifacial solar photovoltaics – A technology review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1533-1549.
    9. Rusu, Eugen & Onea, Florin, 2019. "An assessment of the wind and wave power potential in the island environment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 830-846.
    10. Gagliano, Antonio & Tina, Giuseppe M. & Nocera, Francesco & Grasso, Alfio Dario & Aneli, Stefano, 2019. "Description and performance analysis of a flexible photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 144-156.
    11. Ciulla, G. & D’Amico, A. & Di Dio, V. & Lo Brano, V., 2019. "Modelling and analysis of real-world wind turbine power curves: Assessing deviations from nominal curve by neural networks," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 477-492.
    12. Kim, Chungil & Jeong, Myeong Sang & Ko, Jaehwan & Ko, MyeongGeun & Kang, Min Gu & Song, Hyung-Jun, 2021. "Inhomogeneous rear reflector induced hot-spot risk and power loss in building-integrated bifacial c-Si photovoltaic modules," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 825-835.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jun Wang & Peter D. Lund, 2022. "Review of Recent Offshore Photovoltaics Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-14, October.
    2. Elminshawy, Nabil A.S. & Osama, Amr & Gagliano, Antonio & Oterkus, Erkan & Tina, Giuseppe Marco, 2024. "A technical and economic evaluation of floating photovoltaic systems in the context of the water-energy nexus," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    3. Vivar, M. & H, Sharon & Fuentes, M., 2024. "Photovoltaic system adoption in water related technologies – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
    4. Bai, Bo & Xiong, Siqin & Ma, Xiaoming & Liao, Xiawei, 2024. "Assessment of floating solar photovoltaic potential in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    5. Altegoer, D. & Hussong, J. & Lindken, R., 2022. "Efficiency increase of photovoltaic systems by means of evaporative cooling in a back-mounted chimney-like channel," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 557-570.
    6. Ateş, Ali Murat, 2022. "Unlocking the floating photovoltaic potential of Türkiye's hydroelectric power plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 1495-1509.
    7. Rahaman, Md Atiqur & Chambers, Terrence L. & Fekih, Afef & Wiecheteck, Giovana & Carranza, Gabriel & Possetti, Gustavo Rafael Collere, 2023. "Floating photovoltaic module temperature estimation: Modeling and comparison," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 162-180.
    8. Karmendra Kumar Agrawal & Shibani Khanra Jha & Ravi Kant Mittal & Ajit Pratap Singh & Sanjay Vashishtha & Saurabh Gupta & Manoj Kumar Soni, 2024. "Predictive Modeling of Solar PV Panel Operating Temperature over Water Bodies: Comparative Performance Analysis with Ground-Mounted Installations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-24, July.
    9. Nobre, Regina & Boulêtreau, Stéphanie & Colas, Fanny & Azemar, Frederic & Tudesque, Loïc & Parthuisot, Nathalie & Favriou, Pierre & Cucherousset, Julien, 2023. "Potential ecological impacts of floating photovoltaics on lake biodiversity and ecosystem functioning," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    10. Silvia Bossi & Luciano Blasi & Giacomo Cupertino & Ramiro dell’Erba & Angelo Cipollini & Saverio De Vito & Marco Santoro & Girolamo Di Francia & Giuseppe Marco Tina, 2024. "Floating Photovoltaic Plant Monitoring: A Review of Requirements and Feasible Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-26, September.
    11. Xu, Lijie & Ji, Jie & Yuan, Chengqing & Cai, Jingyong & Dai, Leyang, 2023. "Electrical and thermal performance of multidimensional semi-transparent CdTe PV window on offshore passenger ships in moored and sailing condition," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 349(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Majidi Nezhad, M. & Heydari, A. & Groppi, D. & Cumo, F. & Astiaso Garcia, D., 2020. "Wind source potential assessment using Sentinel 1 satellite and a new forecasting model based on machine learning: A case study Sardinia islands," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 212-224.
    2. Zhong, Jianmei & Zhang, Wei & Xie, Lingzhi & Zhao, Oufan & Wu, Xin & Zeng, Xiding & Guo, Jiahong, 2023. "Development and challenges of bifacial photovoltaic technology and application in buildings: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    3. Evgeny Solomin & Evgeny Sirotkin & Erdem Cuce & Shanmuga Priya Selvanathan & Sudhakar Kumarasamy, 2021. "Hybrid Floating Solar Plant Designs: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-25, May.
    4. Jouttijärvi, Sami & Lobaccaro, Gabriele & Kamppinen, Aleksi & Miettunen, Kati, 2022. "Benefits of bifacial solar cells combined with low voltage power grids at high latitudes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    5. Ma, Chao & Liu, Zhao, 2022. "Water-surface photovoltaics: Performance, utilization, and interactions with water eco-environment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    6. Yang, Zhaoqing & García Medina, Gabriel & Neary, Vincent S. & Ahn, Seongho & Kilcher, Levi & Bharath, Aidan, 2023. "Multi-decade high-resolution regional hindcasts for wave energy resource characterization in U.S. coastal waters," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 803-817.
    7. Daniel Matulić & Željko Andabaka & Sanja Radman & Goran Fruk & Josip Leto & Jakša Rošin & Mirta Rastija & Ivana Varga & Tea Tomljanović & Hrvoje Čeprnja & Marko Karoglan, 2023. "Agrivoltaics and Aquavoltaics: Potential of Solar Energy Use in Agriculture and Freshwater Aquaculture in Croatia," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-26, July.
    8. Rahaman, Md Atiqur & Chambers, Terrence L. & Fekih, Afef & Wiecheteck, Giovana & Carranza, Gabriel & Possetti, Gustavo Rafael Collere, 2023. "Floating photovoltaic module temperature estimation: Modeling and comparison," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 162-180.
    9. Andrés Ruiz & Florin Onea & Eugen Rusu, 2020. "Study Concerning the Expected Dynamics of the Wind Energy Resources in the Iberian Nearshore," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-25, September.
    10. Ferrari, Francesco & Besio, Giovanni & Cassola, Federico & Mazzino, Andrea, 2020. "Optimized wind and wave energy resource assessment and offshore exploitability in the Mediterranean Sea," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    11. Kulat, Muhammed Imran & Tosun, Kursad & Karaveli, Abdullah Bugrahan & Yucel, Ismail & Akinoglu, Bulent Gultekin, 2023. "A sound potential against energy dependency and climate change challenges: Floating photovoltaics on water reservoirs of Turkey," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 694-709.
    12. Liliana Rusu & Eugen Rusu, 2021. "Evaluation of the Worldwide Wave Energy Distribution Based on ERA5 Data and Altimeter Measurements," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, January.
    13. C.J., Ramanan & Lim, King Hann & Kurnia, Jundika Candra & Roy, Sukanta & Bora, Bhaskor Jyoti & Medhi, Bhaskar Jyoti, 2024. "Towards sustainable power generation: Recent advancements in floating photovoltaic technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    14. Sika Gadzanku & Heather Mirletz & Nathan Lee & Jennifer Daw & Adam Warren, 2021. "Benefits and Critical Knowledge Gaps in Determining the Role of Floating Photovoltaics in the Energy-Water-Food Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, April.
    15. Socrates Kaplanis & Eleni Kaplani & John K. Kaldellis, 2023. "PV Temperature Prediction Incorporating the Effect of Humidity and Cooling Due to Seawater Flow and Evaporation on Modules Simulating Floating PV Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-19, June.
    16. Hayibo, Koami Soulemane & Pearce, Joshua M., 2022. "Foam-based floatovoltaics: A potential solution to disappearing terminal natural lakes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 859-872.
    17. Florin Onea & Andrés Ruiz & Eugen Rusu, 2020. "An Evaluation of the Wind Energy Resources along the Spanish Continental Nearshore," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-23, August.
    18. López, Mario & Claus, Rubén & Soto, Fernando & Hernández-Garrastacho, Zenaida A. & Cebada-Relea, Alejandro & Simancas, Orlando, 2024. "Advancing offshore solar energy generation: The HelioSea concept," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 359(C).
    19. Shao, Zhuxiao & Gao, Huijun & Liang, Bingchen & Lee, Dongyoung, 2022. "Potential, trend and economic assessments of global wave power," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 1087-1102.
    20. Tuyet Thi Anh Nguyen & Shuo-Yan Chou, 2022. "Fusion of interval-valued neutrosophic sets and financial assessment for optimal renewable energy portfolios with uncertainties," Energy & Environment, , vol. 33(4), pages 783-808, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:175:y:2021:i:c:p:281-295. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.