Solar Electricity Generation from Floating Photovoltaics Installed in Water Dams: A Case Study from the Island of Crete, Greece

This chapter investigate the possibility of installing floating photovoltaics in the existing water reservoirs in the island of Crete, Greece. Solar energy is very important for heat and power generation in the current era of climate change and the global efforts for its mitigation. Deployment of solar photovoltaics for electricity generation grows rapidly in all countries. Installation of floating solar photovoltaics in water bodies consists of a new and promising technology. Floating solar photovoltaics can be installed in existing hydro-electric plants transforming them to hybrid energy systems generating both hydro and solar electricity. Data on existing water dams in Crete were used and the nominal power of floating photovoltaics as well as their potential for electricity generation were evaluated. It has been estimated that the nominal power of floating photovoltaics that can be installed in these water dams, with coverage ratio at 0.1 to 0.3, varies between 55.76 MWp to 167.3 MWp while the annual electricity generation from the floating photovoltaics varies between 78.3 GWh to 234.9 GWh. The results are important since they indicate that deployment of FPVs as an alternative technology to terrestrial PVs currently used in Crete has many benefits combining solar electricity generation with water savings and less use of valuable land. The annual electricity generation from the abovementioned floating panels corresponds at 2.57% to 7.72% of the annual electricity consumption in Crete in 2018. According to our research, it is possible to put floating solar photovoltaics in Crete's existing water dams, producing large amounts of green electricity with a variety of additional environmental benefits. Policymakers, local and regional authorities, energy firms, and owners of the island's water dams could all benefit from the current study.