TY - JOUR

T1 - Decarbonization potential of floating solar photovoltaics on lakes worldwide

AU - Woolway, R.I.

AU - Zhao, Gang

AU - Midauar Gondim Rocha, Sofia

AU - Thackeray, Stephen

AU - Armstrong, Alona

PY - 2024/6/4

Y1 - 2024/6/4

N2 - As climate change progresses, there is increasing emphasis on net zero andenergy system decarbonization. Several technologies are contributingto this agenda, but among these, the growth of solar photovoltaics hasconsistently exceeded all projections. With increasing land-use pressures,and the expense of building-mounted photovoltaics, water surfaces areincreasingly being exploited to host these technologies. However, todate, we lack an understanding of the global potential of floating solarphotovoltaics and, as such, we do not yet have sufficient insight to informdecisions on (in)appropriate areas for future deployment. Here we quantifythe energy generation potential of floating solar photovoltaics on over1 million water bodies worldwide (14,906 TWh). Our analysis suggests thatwith a conservative 10% surface area coverage, floating solar photovoltaicscould produce sufficient energy to contribute a considerable fraction(16%, on average) of the electricity demand of some countries, thus playingan important role in decarbonizing national economies.

AB - As climate change progresses, there is increasing emphasis on net zero andenergy system decarbonization. Several technologies are contributingto this agenda, but among these, the growth of solar photovoltaics hasconsistently exceeded all projections. With increasing land-use pressures,and the expense of building-mounted photovoltaics, water surfaces areincreasingly being exploited to host these technologies. However, todate, we lack an understanding of the global potential of floating solarphotovoltaics and, as such, we do not yet have sufficient insight to informdecisions on (in)appropriate areas for future deployment. Here we quantifythe energy generation potential of floating solar photovoltaics on over1 million water bodies worldwide (14,906 TWh). Our analysis suggests thatwith a conservative 10% surface area coverage, floating solar photovoltaicscould produce sufficient energy to contribute a considerable fraction(16%, on average) of the electricity demand of some countries, thus playingan important role in decarbonizing national economies.

U2 - 10.1038/s44221-024-00251-4

DO - 10.1038/s44221-024-00251-4

M3 - Journal article

VL - 2

SP - 566

EP - 576

JO - Nature Water

JF - Nature Water

SN - 2731-6084

IS - 6

ER -