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Floating PV Solar-Powered Systems: Design applied to an irrigators community in the Valencia Region - Spain

Abstract:

In the present paper, it is carried out the design of a photovoltaic installation connected to the utility grid with panels mounted on a floating structure at an irrigator's community. The objective is to determine the technical and economic feasibility of a floating photovoltaic installation to partially or totally cover the energy demand.The floating photovoltaic technology modality provides better production yields in photovoltaic panels since they are kept in natural refrigeration and at lower temperatures than if they were mounted on a roof. Its use for irrigation facilities is attractive if an irrigator pool nearby is available. However, the cost of installing floating structures is considerably higher compared to a similar photovoltaic installation on a roof. For the design of the proposed system, 272 PV panels with a 108 kW peak installed and a 100 kW inverter are used. The electrical calculations are also carried out to size all the installation wiring and incorporate the corresponding protections to guarantee a safe operation. The total cost of the photovoltaic installation is 119,100 €. The photovoltaic generation is 188 MWh/year, covering 13.6% of the energy demand.