Harnessing Solar Power on Water: A Case Study on the Viability of Photovoltaics in Kerala's Hydroelectric Power Plants

The world is accelerating towards renewable sources to meet the increasing energy demand and production of electricity. Swift industrialization and rapid population growth lead to the adoption of renewable energy sources along with the conservation of land. The introduction of floating photovoltaics (FPV) reduces the land cost associated with the ground-mounted photo voltaic (PV) system. This paper focuses on the feasibility study of an FPV system in Kerala, taking environmental impact and irradiation into consideration. A 426kWp FPV system in Idukki Dam is presented in the proposed work. The system is designed using the simulation software PVsyst. The results prove the potential of an FPV system to produce 6,33,326kWh energy per year with reduced CO2 emissions of 14694.4 tCOy2, together with reduced evaporation.