Floating photovoltaic panels in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

In these decades, the production of energy from renewable sources has become a necessity for most countries in the world, this being necessary due to the increasingly volatile climate changes recorded in recent decades caused by pollution and the energy crisis.

One of the most important sources of electricity production from renewable sources is certainly the energy produced by photovoltaic panels, being relatively cheap and less polluting. Unfortunately, these installations occupy a large area of land that can also be used for agriculture, that's why it is necessary to find other surfaces where we could install them, such as on the surface of the water. Even though the Republic of Moldova is a country with a relatively small area, we could use artificial reservoirs as well as natural ones for water accumulation. In this context, a relatively new technology that could reduce the use area of agricultural land, the floating photovoltaic panels, appears in sight. The primary benefits of floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems deployed on pre-existing reservoirs include the proximity of reservoirs to established grid systems, the cooling properties of water can bolster energy conversion rates, while FPV panels/floats also mitigate reservoir water loss due to evaporation by obstructing radiative energy and reducing water temperatures.