The case for combining pumped-hydro storage with floating PV
Scientists from Italy’s Polytechnic University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano) have conducted a techno-economic optimization for the addition of floating PV (FPV) to three existing pumped hydro storage (PHS) plants in the country.
“In this work, we have included several effects that have been overlooked in the literature, particularly the reduced evaporation rate from the water basin, the influence of the variation in temperature of the solar cells due to the presence of water, and the impact of the part-load operation of the pumps and turbines in hydroelectric plants,” corresponding author Dr. Matteo Catania told pv magazine. “By evaluating these effects, we propose a novel operating strategy for pumped hydroelectric plants, which could lead to dramatic performance improvements.”
The optimization was formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model, finding the best solution while using both continuous and integer variables under linear constraints.
“By applying this model to different plants, we aim to derive broader conclusions regarding the economic feasibility of integrating FPV with PHS,” the team said. “The findings obtained from our analysis hold significance beyond the specific plants studied, as they can be extrapolated to numerous hydroelectric facilities located in geographical regions sharing similar characteristics to Italy.
The three PHS plants analyzed were Bargi of Northern Italy, Capriati of the Center-South, and Taloro, located on the island of Sardinia. Based on the ratio between the maximum installable FPV and the power capacity of the smallest pump, the researchers have set an integration potential parameter (IPP) metric for each plant, reflecting its presumed practicality and efficiency. In this case, Taloro demonstrated the highest IPP, Capriati the lowest, and Bargi is placed in between.
Image: Politecnico di Milano, Applied Energy, CC BY 4.0
More specifically, Taloro has a pumping capacity of 280 MW, an upstream basin volume of 60.50 Mm³, a downstream basin volume of 18.80 Mm³, a downstream basin surface of 0.82 km², and an average yearly irradiance of 182.83 W/m². Capriati has a pumping capacity of 113 MW, an upstream basin volume of 8.55 Mm³, a downstream basin volume of 4.80 Mm³, a downstream basin surface of 0.11 km², and an average yearly irradiance of 178.60 W/m². Bargi has a pumping capacity of 330 MW, an upstream basin volume of 6.28 Mm³, a downstream basin volume of 43.85 Mm³, a downstream basin surface of 1.50 km², and an average yearly irradiance of 156.29 W/m².
With those parameters, among others, as inputs, the MILP algorithm runs on the Pyomo software. As an output, the model has then provided the preliminary plant operation results as well as the optimal FPV capacity. In all cases, the FPV was only installed on the lower basin using 440 W panels with an efficiency of 20.39%.
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