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The Land Sparing, Water Surface Use Efficiency, and Water Surface Transformation of Floating Photovoltaic Solar Energy Installations

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  • Alexander E. Cagle

    (Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
    Wild Energy Initiative, John Muir Institute of the Environment, UC Davis, CA 95616, USA)

  • Alona Armstrong

    (Wild Energy Initiative, John Muir Institute of the Environment, UC Davis, CA 95616, USA
    Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK)

  • Giles Exley

    (Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK)

  • Steven M. Grodsky

    (Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
    Wild Energy Initiative, John Muir Institute of the Environment, UC Davis, CA 95616, USA)

  • Jordan Macknick

    (Scientific Computing and Energy Analysis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA)

  • John Sherwin

    (Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32922, USA)

  • Rebecca R. Hernandez

    (Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
    Wild Energy Initiative, John Muir Institute of the Environment, UC Davis, CA 95616, USA)

Abstract

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 m 2 of land and have a mean land sparing ratio of 2.7:1 m 2 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 m 2 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander E. Cagle & Alona Armstrong & Giles Exley & Steven M. Grodsky & Jordan Macknick & John Sherwin & Rebecca R. Hernandez, 2020. "The Land Sparing, Water Surface Use Efficiency, and Water Surface Transformation of Floating Photovoltaic Solar Energy Installations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-22, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:19:p:8154-:d:423110
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