As an example, they used a 130 kW solar systemat the Passaune Reservoir in
The power plant system covers an area of 1265.14sq. m and consists of 395 photovoltaic modules. The polycrystalline modules have a maximum power rating of 330W and dimensions of 1960mm x 991mm x 40mm.
The reservoir borders the cities of Curitiba,Araucaria and Campo Largo and provides 20% of the water consumed by the population of the Curitiba metropolitan area, Paraná. The researchers used the Penmum-Monteith method, recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to measure the rate of water evaporation.
They found that 4.47 million cubic meters.m of water evaporated from the reservoir during the year, which is equivalent to 10.4% of the volume of water consumed annually by the local population. The team calculated that the floating solar system reduced water evaporation with an efficiency of 60.20%.
They also studied the effect of different sizes of photovoltaic systems on the rate of water evaporation.
“The larger the area of the floating solar system on the surface of the water, the greater the reduction in water evaporation and, therefore, the greater the amount of water saved,” the researchers say.
The results show that a system with a capacity of 5MW can save about 16,000 cubic meters. m of water per year, which is equivalent to the consumption of water by 196 residents of the region per year. The electricity generated by the system could also cover the consumption of the 2,563 inhabitants of the State of Paraná, assuming a per capita consumption of 1.95 kWh.
The researchers shared their results inarticle "Effect of a floating photovoltaic system on the rate of water evaporation in the Passauna reservoir, Brazil", which was recently published in Energies.
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