Floating photovoltaic or Floating PV (FPV) is a Photovoltaic (PV) based energy generation approach on water surfaces. Usually, it is considered as the third wave of PV module installation after distributed and rooftop solar installations. FPV has several features including
- No need to land
- Higher power performance due to the cooling effect of water
- Higher land-use efficiency (MWh per hectare)
- Better socio-environmental effect (being out of sight)
- Its potentials to meet World Electricity Demand.
- Its combination with hydropower plants (hybridization)
Which one is the most important driver for FPV installation and why?
In my opinion, in the first couple of years, the hybridization option and global FPV potential to meet the global electricity demand will rise up the FPV projects worldwide. While in the rest years, solving the land-scarcity issue for solar installation and better socio-environmental effect will be the main drivers to make FPV a pivotal of the annual solar capacity addition in this sector.
we can made panels using interdigitated back contact and IBC cells a.It is most efficient followed by heterojunction cells, monocrystalline PERC cells, shingled cells and mono cells
Thanks in advance dear Hadi Jabbar Alagealy,
As regards your answer, we can also utilize solar cells with the same technologies as those ones you mentioned in bifacial solar panels which are used in FPV projects. It is worth mentioning that the bifaciality of high efficient solar cells is one of the popular trends in PV module production.
Dear Saad Zahraw Sekhi,
let me explain the other side of the coin. Almost all of the high-efficient solar cell architectures including monocrystalline PERC, shingle, and heterojunction have been designed for both monofacial and bifacial solar panels
In addition to Hesam-Edin Hayati's answer, the following features of FPV makes it a viable option for solar installation in coming decade:
Storage opportunity: the presence of water naturally suggests using gravity energy storage mainly in the coupling with hydroelectric basins. However other possibilities have been explored and in particular compressed-air energy storage systems have been suggested.
Water saving and water quality: the partial coverage of basins can reduce the water evaporation. This result depends on climate conditions and on the percentage of the covered surface. This wil will be more prominent in arid climate regions than in others.
Tracking: a large floating platform can be easily turned and can perform a vertical tracking; this can be done without wasting energy and without the need for a complex mechanical apparatus as in land-based PV plants.
Dear Joshua Ejeka,
I generally support your ideas such as storage opportunities and saving water's quality and water from evaporating in FPV projects. The former idea was reflected in the Its combination with hydropower plants (hybridization) item. While I think your latter idea is not the main driver for expanding FPV globally. It is an indirect motive for FPV expansion.
FPV projects have gained such huge tractions during these years that their cumulative capacity has increased from 10MW installed in 2004 to 2.6GW in 2021. Currently, the race for constructing the world's largest FPV project is HOT among countries such as China, South Korea, Indonesia, and India. I think the driver of this momentum might be its features related to not needing land
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