Ecuador could host floating PV facilities at 11 hydropower plants
An international team led by researchers from the Australian environmental and energy-focused unit of RINA Consulting, part of Italy-based RINA, has examined the potential to deploy floating photovoltaics (FPVs) at hydropower plants (HPPs) in Ecuador and has found that, out of 70 HPPs, 11 have the potential to co-locate FPV systems greater than 15 MW.
“To date, no study has fully assessed the HPP-FPV colocation potential for a country with the level of detail presented here, considering not only energy generation potential but also water conservation benefits,” corresponding author of the research, Carlos D. Rodriguez-Gallegos told pv magazine.
Ecuador has a strong hydropower base for electricity generation, according to the researchers, but recent blackouts caused by prolonged dry seasons triggered the team to delve into the potential to co-locate FPV with the HPP infrastructure.
The team modeled energy production, yield, and performance of the FPV systems, applying a methodology that accounted for system design loss. To get a reliable representation of weather conditions in the region the team used the Meteonorm database, which combines satellite and ground-based data, Solargis, which is satellite-based, and the National Solar Radiation Database, also based on satellite data.
The energy potential for FPV was calculated using PVsyst version 7 and a RINA in-house tool. The team also quantified the energy impact of water that would be prevented from evaporating due to PV panel shading.
The results showed that FPV can contribute additional electricity to the grid but also deliver an improved HPP performance by reducing water evaporation from reservoirs during dry seasons when solar irradiation is typically higher.
“One unexpected finding was that many of the potential FPV systems to be installed in the HPP reservoirs experienced significant far shading losses (up to 17%) and soiling losses (up to 6%) which we found out was due to the nearby mountains and seasons with limited rain to assure module self-cleaning, respectively,” said Rodriguez-Gallegos. “Another surprise was that, although Ecuador has over 70 HPPs, only 11 of them showed potential to host FPV systems under desirable conditions.”
Several rankings based on a variety of weightings were presented in the study, for example, maximum FPV capacity, yield, and water savings per unit area. In terms of pure capacity, the two sites with the largest FPV potential were Marcel Laniado de Wind HPP with an estimated 213 MW capacity, and Mazar HPP with an estimated 170 MW.
In a ranking based on weather and irradiance conditions, an HPP site in Cumbaya, which has an irradiance of 1,895 kWh/m2/year, was identified as having optimal conditions and a capacity of 17 MW. The most efficient system is located at Pucará, a site that the researchers said had a performance ratio of 89.4% due to low losses due to shading and cooler module temperatures.
Looking ahead at further research, the team noted that the potential for hybrid hydro-linked solar PV and other types of FPV is suggested. “While we have successfully investigated the impact of FPV for inland applications, we are now focusing on studying the offshore potential of this technology,” said Rodriguez-Gallegos.
The details of the study are presented in “Co-Location Potential of Floating PV with Hydropower Plants: Case Study in Ecuador,” published by Solar. The research team included scientists from the National University of Singapore, Concordia University of Canada, and Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral in Ecuador.
They hope that the researcher could be relevant to investors, developers, and researchers exploring global FPV-HPP colocation opportunities, and for Ecuadorian government authorities to inform effective energy policy planning.
Image: RINA, Solar. 2025; 5(1):3.
Creative Commons License CC BY 4.0 with attribution
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