Floating solar panels on 1% of tanks 'might double' Africa's hydropower capacity

• Floating solar could be a beneficial tool to assist African countries broaden their power framework sustainably, according to a new study and a power expert.

If panels covered 1% of reservoirs, this alone might increase African hydropower capacity and also boost electrical energy generation from dams by 50%.

But unknowns stay, such as the effect on water top quality and technical challenges consisting of the influence of bird fouling and rust.

Solar panels floating on the lakes developed by Africa's hydropower dams could be a major brand-new resource of power, according to a brand-new research study.

If these panels covered just 1% of reservoirs, this alone can double African hydropower capability as well as boost electrical power generation from dams by 50%.

Hydro dams are the biggest sustainable source of power in a continent where millions of individuals still do not have access to electrical power. However, their future potential could be hindered by environment adjustment.

In a new paper released in Renewable Energy, scientists lay out the possibility of using floating photovoltaic panels set up on lakes to increase the producing capacity of existing dams.

With the continent captured in between "a climate situation as well as widespread energy poverty", one regional specialist tells Carbon Brief that floating solar could be a beneficial tool to aid African nations broaden their power infrastructure sustainably.

Increasing hydro

Hydropower represent 17% of the electrical power created throughout Africa and greater than 90% in some countries, including Ethiopia, Mozambique and also Zambia.

Dr Samuel Gyamfi from the University of Energy as well as Natural Resources in Ghana, who was not associated with the brand-new research, tells Carbon Brief that African countries have actually still built much less than other parts of the globe:

" This is generally because of economic restrictions ... Africa has about 90% of its hydro sources yet to be developed for power generation."

As it stands, less than half the populace of sub-Saharan Africa has accessibility to electrical energy. With greater than 50 new dams currently under construction, this modern technology is commonly promoted as an eco-friendly option to Africa's power demands.

However, with rising global temperature levels causing interfered with rainfall and also dry spells, existing African facilities are expected to create less power in the future. In addition to this, the dams that have actually been developed have actually commonly been connected to social, environmental and political issues.

The new paper recommends floating solar panels as an option that enhances hydropower capability using Africa's "huge solar sources". Panels can be mounted on floating structures and also plugged into existing electrical energy framework.

The writers *-- a team from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre-- inform Carbon Brief:

" Floating photovoltaics could be a possible choice to broadening hydropower in particular locations, especially in water limited areas where dry spells are creating serious consequences on hydroelectric generation."

At the same time, they note that during the damp period hydropower can compensate for the intermittency of solar power in these crossbreed systems.

The researchers utilized a combination of satellite pictures and also information from hydropower tanks and solar radiation to estimate floating solar's potential at the 146 biggest hydropower centers in Africa since 2016.

In an optimum situation where 100% of each storage tank was covered with photovoltaic panels, there would be a going along with 100-fold boost in capability, with 2,922 gigawatts (GW) of solar added to the existing 28GW of hydropower.

This would indicate a 50-fold boost in electrical energy manufacturing contrasted to present hydro output, from 106 terawatt hours (TWh) to 5,293 TWh. This towers over the overall electrical energy demand across the whole of Africa, which is only around 700TWh.

While covering every tank with panels is plainly "not practical", the authors keep in mind that, even in cases with far much less protection, the gains were substantial.

With just 1% cover, the installed capacity of existing hydropower plants could be greater than doubled, climbing from 28GW to 58GW.

This would imply enhancing the general electricity result of the hydropower and solar hybrid system to 159TWh, a 50% rise from hydropower alone.

The paper also includes a scenario in which the set up solar exactly matched hydropower capacity, permitting full use of the dam's link to the grid.

This caused 0.9% insurance coverage, however just for 108 storage tanks as the staying 38 required more than 100% insurance coverage to equivalent hydropower ability. These storage tanks are displayed in the map listed below, with the size of the circles suggested the dimension of solar energy outcome.

' Just solar on a boat'

Though still at the onset of development, floating solar power has been "growing exponentially", according to a 2018 record by the World Bank.

Some African nations have actually taken the first steps towards this new technology, but they are much behind the big players, such as China. A 2019 report located there was 64kW of floating solar released in Africa compared to 813,788 kW in Asia.

Mohamed Adow, director of Nairobi-based thinktank Power Shift Africa, tells Carbon Brief that expanding the continent's power profile with innovations such as floating solar can lower "interruptions as well as overreliance" on hydropower.

Jenny Chase, a solar expert at BloombergNEF (BNEF) that was not involved in the new research, tells Carbon Quick "sticking solar on hydro plants need to be an evident win". She includes:

" It's just solar on a boat. You have actually obtained the grid link, so you're great to go."

As a whole, solar energy is established for substantial growth in the area, benefiting from Africa's adequate solar sources as well as dropping rates. "The continent really just required it to get affordable," claims Chase.

She adds that, while the brand-new research prices quote Africa's overall solar capacity as 5GW, according to BNEF figures it was 12.7 GW in 2020 and also is anticipated to be 16.7 GW by the end of 2021.

A fringe benefit supplied by floating solar panels on hydropower reservoirs originates from their potential to decrease water loss throughout durations of dry spell by developing a guard that blocks any kind of vaporizing dampness.

This, subsequently, might further enhance the power result from the dams. The paper located that making use of floating panels that completely cover 1% of the water surface area would increase hydropower result by 0.17% due to water savings.

" For a continent that will need to value every last drop as international home heating remains to increase, this is considerable," claims Adow.

Prices and also challenges

Professionals inform Carbon Brief that while the new paper paints a fascinating picture, there are issues with floating solar in Africa.

" The technology is exceptional, yet instead pricey," claims Dr Mmantsae Moche Diale, a solar energy researcher at the College of Pretoria.

The research notes evidence from the EU that floating solar energy can cost around 20-25% more than the traditional selection.

Nonetheless, the writers tell Carbon Brief that, with power grid infrastructure already in position at hydropower plants, the saving on grid connection expenses can make floating solar "more economically practical".

Chase minimizes the additional costs, telling Carbon Brief that "it's a little bit more expensive than ground place, but not much", adding:

" Solar's obtained so economical that these days it's even more a 'why not?' than 'why do this'"

Nonetheless, Adow says that to make the situations set out in this paper a reality there will certainly need to be targeted financial support for African governments from richer nations:

" This is why establishing countries talk about the significance of 'modern technology transfer' at the UN climate tops ... It should be top of the schedule when nations satisfy this year at COP26 in Glasgow."

"Africa is captured between both an environment dilemma and also extensive energy hardship. Its leaders require to think artistically and be sustained," he includes.

The authors of the new research study note that, with floating solar still a fairly new modern technology, there remain numerous unknowns, such as the influence on water top quality and also technological obstacles consisting of the influence of bird fouling and also rust.

Gyamfi claims these issues will vary significantly in between nations and also notes that even more research will be required to figure out exactly how ideal to scale up floating solar in the area.

The writers state the nations that stand to benefit most from floating solar are northern African nations, in addition to South Africa, owing to their fairly reduced hydropower ability.

Virtually all of South Africa's power is presently given by coal, while countries such as Algeria and also Libya depend heavily on gas.