International locations world wide are searching for progressive options to scale back carbon emissions whereas assembly vitality safety and financial improvement wants. From rooftop photovoltaics (PVs) to offshore wind, artistic vitality technology sources have solved challenges related to typical renewable vitality sources reminiscent of land use restrictions and geographical constraints.

For international locations with considerable photo voltaic useful resource potential and restricted land availability, floating PV, or FPV, has emerged as a possible clear vitality resolution. In a first-of-its-kind evaluation, Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory (NREL) researchers, funded by the laboratory’s partnership with america Company for Worldwide Improvement’s (USAID) Regional Improvement Mission for Asia, accomplished an evaluation of FPV potential for the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The report, Enabling Floating Photo voltaic Photovoltaic (FPV) Deployment: FPV Technical Potential Evaluation for Southeast Asia, estimates the technical potential for the ten ASEAN international locations and is coupled with an FPV knowledge set that’s publicly accessible by means of the USAID-NREL Partnership’s Renewable Power (RE) Information Explorer instrument.

FPV technology and capability technical potential for reservoirs in Southeast Asia. Graphic by Prateek Joshi, NREL

FPV technology and capability technical potential for pure water our bodies in Southeast Asia. Graphic by Prateek Joshi, NREL

Untraditional Options for Conventional Calls for: The Case for Floating Photovoltaics in Southeast Asia

Whereas conventional renewable vitality sources (photo voltaic arrays, wind farms, and so forth.) are efficient varieties of vitality technology, they typically include land-use challenges and considerations.

Against this, FPV arrays are located on water our bodies reminiscent of lakes, reservoirs, or water therapy ponds, the place they are often put in alone or together with hydropower dams. This methodology of set up eliminates land use considerations and makes use of areas that will in any other case go unused for vitality technology. That is notably of curiosity in circumstances the place hydropower infrastructure is deliberate or already in place, and elevated frequency or severity of drought could elevate considerations round electrical energy reliability.

Growing Power Safety

Such is true for Southeast Asia, a area with important current hydropower infrastructure but some considerations round vitality safety during times of drought and water shortage. Photo voltaic and hydropower are complementary vitality sources, and FPV has the potential to agency up vitality technology during times of drought and low reservoir ranges.

“Whereas we will’t generalize about Southeast Asia as a complete, one factor that’s mainly universally true of the area is that it has a longtime community of hydropower technology websites. FPV can assist these sources as water ranges fluctuate to make sure grid stability,” mentioned Evan Rosenlieb, a geospatial knowledge scientist at NREL who carried out the useful resource and technical potential evaluation for this venture.

“Moreover, a lot of the area is roofed by rainforest ecosystems,” Rosenlieb mentioned. “Siting PV on water is usually a technique to enhance renewable vitality technology with out deforestation.”

The Meals-Water-Power Nexus

Moreover, Southeast Asia is exploring different water-based options reminiscent of aquaculture—a technique of farming the place aquatic creatures reminiscent of fish, crustaceans, and others are raised on managed water environments. Aquaculture websites current distinctive alternatives for FPV deployment and advantages.

“Together with its different co-benefits, FPV can play an vital function in bolstering meals safety in Southeast Asia by means of incorporation with the area’s fast-growing aquaculture business,” mentioned Prateek Joshi, NREL vitality engineer and lead creator of the report.

“This rising mixture of aquaculture and photovoltaics, generally known as AquaPV, can permit international locations to colocate vitality and meals manufacturing on current pure or artificially created water our bodies whereas minimizing the general environmental influence of each sectors,” Joshi mentioned.

Assembly Renewable Power Objectives

International locations throughout Southeast Asia have bold renewable vitality technology targets that FPV can assist make a actuality. Collectively, ASEAN has set a goal of 35% renewable vitality put in energy capability by 2025, which has spurred these international locations’ pursuits in aggressive and artistic options, like FPV improvement.

“FPV is an choice that may permit many of those international locations to benefit from high-quality photo voltaic sources to fight challenges reminiscent of land availability or rugged geographies that may make siting conventional renewable vitality sources troublesome,” mentioned Sika Gadzanku, the NREL vitality know-how and coverage researcher who led the event of this evaluation. “In addition they provide resilience alternatives in areas that use quite a lot of hydropower however are dealing with droughts and important adjustments in rainfall patterns.”

Figuring out Technical Potential and Creating Information for All

“Southeast Asia leads FPV deployment, and Thailand is rising as a significant participant on this house. Our FPV work has actually been demand-driven—a number of nation companions and builders expressed their curiosity in FPV and in flip, we launched into our first Southeast Asia-specific FPV evaluation 4 years in the past,” Gadzanku mentioned.

Gadzanku is an rising knowledgeable in FPV analysis and improvement. Up to now 4 years, she has completely examined FPV improvement in Southeast Asia, together with a 2021 report detailing obstacles to FPV deployment and a 2022 evaluation of the operational advantages of FPV-hydropower hybrid techniques.

From left to proper: Sika Gadzanku, Derina Man, and Sadie Cox attended the Asia Clear Power Discussion board in Manila, Philippines, to debate rising clear vitality options for Southeast Asia. Picture from Prathiba Juturu, USAID.

Constructing off earlier FPV research, the NREL workforce used current knowledge on waterbodies, infrastructure, and vitality sources to find out which waterbodies confirmed the very best potential for FPV improvement. They discovered that each one the ASEAN international locations have important potential for FPV vitality technology.

As these international locations sit up for start creating FPV initiatives, knowledge will probably be vital for his or her decision-making. To assist builders, policymakers, and different regional stakeholders, the USAID and NREL groups made this technical potential knowledge obtainable by means of the RE Information Explorer instrument.

“Among the many 4 important knowledge required for profitable FPV improvement, web site location stands out as one of the vital elements to contemplate attributable to geographic variations in Southeast Asian international locations,” mentioned Chatchai Mawong, assistant governor of energy plant engineering and development on the Electrical energy Producing Authority of Thailand.”

Correct and detailed knowledge of the positioning location is essential, because it impacts the feasibility of venture improvement in every location, in addition to know-how choice, venture prices and eco-friendliness.”

This knowledge set is the primary FPV knowledge to be added to RE Information Explorer, increasing entry to the varieties of analyses Southeast Asian stakeholders can do to evaluate renewable vitality technology.

“This knowledge will result in extra discussions and may inform selections on the potential function of FPV within the area. It wouldn’t have been doable with out all the present work of earlier FPV research and former RE Information Explorer instrument improvement,” Gadzanku mentioned.

“The information is publicly accessible and can be utilized by all types of stakeholders—vitality planners and modelers, builders, and researchers—to assist extra detailed FPV analysis actions and modeling and evaluation efforts.”

Be taught extra in regards to the USAID-NREL Partnership’s Superior Power Partnership for Asia.

Article from NREL.

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