NREL scientists estimate global potential of hydro-linked floating PV at up to 7.5 TW

The U.S. based researchers said linking solar with hydro in a full hybrid system configuration may result – at best – in the deployment of 7,593 GW for an estimated annual power generation of 10,616 TWh and a 20% reservoir coverage. And combining solar with hydro in this way brings further benefits, including improved system operation at different time scales, more opportunities for storage thanks to pumped hydro, increased utilization rates of transmission lines, reduced PV curtailment, and lower interconnection costs and water evaporation.

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From pv magazine International

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have analyzed the potential benefits of hybrid power generation from floating PV (FPV) and hydroelectric stations, and identify global potential for such projects between 3,039 GW and 7,593 GW.

In the study Hybrid floating solar photovoltaics-hydropower systems: Benefits and global assessment of technical potential, published in Renewable Energy, the academics described three different project typologies: Co-location hybrid systems, where the PV installation and the hydropower facility are co-located but operated and optimized separately; virtual hybrid systems, where the two power productions are located at different sites and optimized through bilateral agreements; and full hybrid systems, in which cost and performance improvements are achieved through co-optimized planning and operation.

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