E – 1932 Floating Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Floating Solar Photovoltaic Systems Cost Benchmark: Q1 2021 Installations on Artificial Water Bodies.

In this online engineering PDH course, the costs of solar photovoltaic systems installed on floats anchored in bodies of water are estimated. Typical bodies of water used include industrial ponds, hydropower reservoirs, agricultural ponds, and flood control reservoirs. Floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems are advantageous in places where land use is constrained, land is not easily accessible, or land leasing is expensive and a body of water is available. In this course, an analysis of the installed costs for a FPV system constructed for average site conditions shows that the FPV system costs are approximately 25% higher than ground-mounted, fixed-tilt PV installed over bare ground. Higher structural costs related to the floats and anchoring system are the largest contributors to the increased cost. FPV deployment is in an early stage, and additional experience, best practice development, and new configurations and technologies might help reduce the costs of FPV systems over time.