The technical and economic analysis continued by a proof-ofconcept
prototype has shown the technical feasibility of the FPCS
while has addressed the practical and applied research carried out.
Finally, the construction and implementation of the whole floating
platform above the entire surface of a reservoir generates
425,000 kWh/year of renewable energy while at the same time,
achieves an annual saving of 5000 m3 of water (25% of the reservoir’s
storage capacity). In short, the practical and in-situ data obtained
has been highly satisfactory confirming the previous office
and lab approach. The average PR of 78% is also very successful and
promising real value. Also, significant CO2 savings calculated over
the lifetime of the FPCS stress the environmental benefits provided
by this novel PV technology.
At the time the project was developed, the Spanish government
guaranteed revenue of 0.29 V/kWh for 20 years, and, for this reason
the PV system was designed exclusively for the sale of energy
produced to the grid. But later on, mainly due to the poor economic
situation of Spain, bonus policy has been eliminated. However, due
to the continuous increase of electricity prices and on the other
hand, the current declining prices of PV modules, the selfconsumption
is presented as an option increasingly promising for
the system. In fact, our latest research is being focused on this direction,
although the current Spanish law does not regulate the
self-consumption clearly yet. Since the modern agriculture is
intensive in water and power requirements, it is of utmost importance
to promote actions to overcome these deficiencies contributing
to more sustainable land management practices.
Solar energy will play an increasing important role in future
agriculture where reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and
addressing environmental issues are a priority. The energy technology
sector is experiencing marked significant changes as has
been shown with the floating PV array developed.
In short, there is great potential for the installation of floating
solar panel electricity generating plants in order to improve the
water and energy balances in arid and semi-arid zones with limited
water resources, as is the case of the zones near to the Spanish
eastern Mediterranean coastline.