Floating solar panels in marine waters, an unexplored green energy in Italy

Abstract With the diversity of available energy resources, this study sheds the light on floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems within the Italian context, focusing on modular FPV platforms. Despite its great potential, FPV systems in marine waters are still an unexplored sector and unknown to many, especially decision makers, looking that any marine installation requires governmental decisions; indeed, only few FPV projects are implemented around the globe. The current study aims to show one type of these FPV systems in the Adriatic Sea whith the focus of minimizing environmental impact by examining the structural differences between the use of three different types of green materials. Hence, the first aim of this paper is to distinguish between centralized and uncentralized energy centers and localize the floating solar photovoltaic panels between these two. The second aim is to present a calculation showing the simplicity of implementing a FPV structure in nearshore and to exploit its advantages, especially that 60% of the Italian population live in coastal areas. Analytical calculations and Finite Element models are employed for the verification of the structural stability. The third aim is to compare the same nearshore structure using different materials, all of them identified as green materials: recycled plastics, recycled plastic with plant based fiber, more precisely hemp-fiber, and recycled plastics with nano-particles CNT. The choice of such unusual materials in the field of construction falls into what is known as double green goals: to expand the effort of using renewable energy sources and at the same time to use recycled materials which promote sustainable practices in infrastructure development.