Enhancing Hydroelectric Efficiency through Floating Photovoltaics in the Karnafuli Hydropower Plant

The Karnafuli Hydropower Plant produces 2,014,800 MWh/year of electricity while operating in an isolated energy grid. By the integration of floating photovoltaics (FPV) is expected to significantly increase renewable capacity from 0 MW to 150 MW, along with some challenges related to grid stability and intermittent energy management. In addition, preventing downstream hydrological impacts will be essential to fulfill environmental responsibilities to reduce CO2 emissions. However there are several benefits to the FPV integration, especially with regarding the plant's capacity to supply balancing operations during off-peak hours, which enhances system sustainability and flexibility. This study analyzes the feasibility of improving the efficiency of the Kaptai Hydropower Plant through the integration of floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems. The integration of hydropower and floating photovoltaics provides an effective option for enhancing energy generation while utilizing existing water reservoirs, resulting in maximizing land utilization and minimizing water evaporation. Using PVsyst software simulations were executed for evaluating the energy generation potential of a 10.01 MWp floating photovoltaic system at the Kaptai location, positioned at 22.50°N and 92.22°E, with a fixed-plane orientation. The findings demonstrate that the system can produce 13.46 GWh per year, with a performance ratio of 76.19% under ideal conditions. The use of FPV in hydropower plant could significantly reduce CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> emissions, replacing about 235,785.3 tons of CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> throughout the 30 year lifespan. The study highlights the economic and environmental advantages of floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems in hydropower plants, emphasizing the opportunities for sustainable energy production in Bangladesh.