Assessing the Theoretical, Minimal Intervention Potential of Floating Solar in Greece: A Policy-Oriented Planning Exercise on Lentic Water Systems of the Greek Mainland

Abstract

According to the recent revision of the Greek National Energy and Climate Plan, the country sets out to accomplish an ambitious target concerning the integration of renewables in the local electricity mix during the ongoing decade, at the levels of 80% by 2030. This implies the need to more than double the existing wind and PV capacity at the national level, which in turn introduces numerous challenges. Amongst them, spatial planning for new RES installations seems to be the most demanding, with the adoption of novel technological solutions in the field of RES potentially holding a key role. New technologies, like offshore wind and floating solar, are gradually gaining maturity and may offer such an alternative, challenged at the same time however by the need to entail minimum disruption for local ecosystems. To that end, we currently assess the theoretical potential of floating PVs for lentic water systems of the Greek mainland. We do so by looking into 53 different lentic water systems across the Greek territory that meet the constraint of 1 km2 minimum surface area, and we proceed with the estimation of the relevant floating PV capacity per system under the application of a minimal intervention approach, assuming PV coverage of 1% over the total lentic water system area. In this context, our findings indicate a maximum, aggregate theoretical capacity that could exceed 2 GWp at the national level, with the respective annual energy yield reaching approximately 4 TWh or, equivalently, >6% of the country’s anticipated annual electricity consumption in 2030. Finally, our results extend further, offering a regional level analysis and a set of policy directions and considerations on the development of floating solar in Greece, while also designating the energy merits of floating PVs against similar, land-based installations.

Keywords

• floating solar
• lentic water systems
• national energy planning
• geographical analysis