An international team has investigated the potential to use floating photovoltaisches at Hydroelectric stations in Ecuador and found 11 of the 70 locations that can host at least 15 MW to 200 MW.
An international team led by researchers from the Australian environmental and energy-oriented unit of Rina Consulting, part of Rina in Italy, has investigated the potential to implement floating photovoltaic (FPVS) at waterconditions (HPPs) in Ecuador and found that, of The 70 HPPs can bring together 11 FPV systems larger than 15 MW.
“Until now, no study has rated the HPP-FPV colocation potential for a country with the detailed level presented here, given not only potential for generating energy, but also benefits for water saving,” corresponding author of the study, Carlos D . PV Magazine.
Ecuador has a strong hydropower base for generating electricity, according to the researchers, but recent blackouts caused by long-term dry seasons have encouraged the team to delve into the potential to merge FPV with the HPP infrastructure.
The team modeled energy production, yield and performance of the FPV systems, with a methodology responsible for the loss of system design. To get a reliable representation of the weather conditions in the region, the team used the Meteonorm database, which combines satellite and ground-based data, Solargis, which is based on satellite, and the National Solar radiation database, also based on satellite data.
The energy potential for FPV was calculated using PVSYST version 7 and an Rina in-house tool. The team also quantified the energy -impact of water that would be prevented from evaporating as a result of PV panel damage.
The results showed that FPV can contribute extra electricity to the grid, but can also deliver improved HPP performance by reducing the evaporation of water from reservoirs during dry seasons when the irradiation of solar radiation is typically higher.
“An unexpected finding was that many of the potential FPV systems that had to be installed in the HPP reservoirs experienced significant distant shadow losses (up to 17%) and polluted losses (up to 6%) that we discovered was due to the nearby mountains and nearby mountains and seasons with limited rain to ensure the self -cleaning module respectively, “said Rodriguez-Gallegos. “Another surprise was that, although Ecuador has more than 70 HPPs, only 11 of them showed potential to host FPV systems under desirable circumstances.”
Various rankings based on a variety of weightings were presented in the study, for example maximum FPV capacity, yield and water savings per unit area. In terms of pure capacity, the two locations with the largest FPV potential Marcel Laniado were the Wind HPP with an estimated capacity of 213 MW, and Mazar HPP with an estimated 170 MW.
In a ranking based on weather conditions and radiation, an HPP site in Cumbaya, which has an irradiation of 1,895 kWh/m2/year, identified as an optimal conditions and a capacity of 17 MW. The most efficient system is in Pucará, a site that, according to the researchers, had a performance ratio of 89.4% due to low losses as a result of shadow and cooler module temperatures.
Looking ahead to further research, the team noted that the potential for hybrid Hydro-linked Zonne-PV and other types of FPV is being presented. “Although we have successfully investigated the impact of FPV for domestic applications, we are now focusing on studying the offshore potential of this technology,” said Rodriguez-Gallegos.
The details of the research are presented in “Co location potential of floating PV with hydroelectric power stations: Case Study in Ecuador‘Published by Sun. The research team included scientists from the National University of Singapore, Concordia University of Canada and Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral in Ecuador.
They hope that the researcher can be relevant to investors, developers and researchers who are investigating global FPV-HPP colocation options and for the Ecuadorian government authorities to inform effective energy-lecture planning.
Image: Rina, Solar. 2025; 5 (1): 3.
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