Survey of the Floating Photovoltaic Potential of Portugal

Abstract

Portugal is characterized by a high solar potential with annual global horizontal solar irradiation exceeding 1800 kWh/m2 [1]. Due to this radiation availability and the sharp reduction in costs that has occurred in the last decade, solar photovoltaic has shown a market growth and an increasing penetration in the Portuguese national electricity generation system. The application of floating photovoltaic (FPV) technology brings the advantage of using an otherwise potentially unused area and can present a yield increase due to its installation over water, at the same time providing a reduction in water evaporation [2]. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential for FPV installation in mainland Portugal, using water body data by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA). This analysis results in a mapping of the potential areas for FPV applications in the national territory, thus establishing a relationship between the availability of solar radiation and the geographical distribution of water bodies in the different regions of the country. This work intends to determine if the FPV potential in Portugal can contribute to the installed capacity target as defined in the Portuguese National Energy and Climate Plan 2030 (PNEC 2030), which defines the goal of 7GW of solar photovoltaic systems in 2030 [3].