Clean energy production and decarbonization of energy sector with floating photovoltaic systems

Abstract Floating photovoltaic systems (FPVS) offer several advantages over traditional land-based PV systems, which has contributed to a growing global interest in their deployment. Since the energy yields are strongly dependent on location and tilt angle of FPVS, this research focuses on the clean energy production and decarbonization potential of FPVS in Serbia and Türkiye for different water bodies, such are natural and artificial lakes and dams. The research is performed for the most appropriate lakes and dams, having in mind importance of the location, energy yields potential, distance from the electricity grid and main roads, environmental impact, water depth and land type quality. Tilt angles are analyzed in a range from 5 to 40°, and the optimal angle is depicted for selected locations. The highest energy yields for Türkiye were obtained for 30° tilt angle, while for Serbia it was 36°. The results showed that possible clean energy production in both countries reaches 15345 kWh of energy in total, while the yearly carbon emissions reduction for all selected locations goes up to 10.76 tCO 2 /year in total. Since the legal framework for the application of FPVS is not established yet in observed countries, these results contribute to the future development of legislation in the field of FPVS and encourage the stakeholders to invest in clean energy production.