Assessment for floating photovoltaic

Development of guidelines for a high-level feasibility assessment for floating photovoltaic, for Enel Green power.

Enel asked CESI to create guidelines for assessing the potential for floating solar photovoltaic installations (floating PV) on hydroelectric basins, looking at environmental compatibility and feasibility from a sustainability, technical and economic point of view.

With demand rising for more renewable energy generation and lower carbon emissions, floating PV can increase clean power generation, with benefits including greater efficiency than land-based PV and reduced land consumption. However, it is important to know if there are any potential negative impacts of floating PV technology on the environment and whether reservoirs are suited to hosting a floating PV plant.

The guidelines aim to provide a method based of quickly and easily assessing whether a particular basin is suitable for floating PV projects.