Energy and economic estimation for a floating photovoltaic plant situated in the biggest hydro power plant reservoir in Albania

Abstract Many countries are considering the installation of photovoltaic modules on water bodies, through the utilization of floating structures. Different designs of floating structures are employed in many applications, by leaning on their advantages and disadvantages. They are part of the configuration referred as Floating photovoltaic (FPV) system. Depending on each country characteristics, the main objective is the positive impact of avoiding the land use. The installed capacity and number of FPV plants is increased continually, but discussions on energy performance and their economic estimation is ongoing. In this work is considered the case of the biggest hydro power plant in Albania (Fierza), where the existing installed capacity is 500 MW. The hydro power plant has the biggest water reservoir in the country and works based on the annual regulation for the whole river cascade. The country has an energy policy based mainly on renewable energy sources. The paper is based on providing a sustainable solution, through the electricity production from the integration of two renewable energy sources, like solar energy and hydropower. The presented results include the monthly values of the final yield, the reference yield, the performance ratio, the specific yield, and the energy yield. The conclusions obtained from this work will be based on energy, economic and environmental data. Also, they will show the impact of the suggested FPV plant on the national electricity grid.