TechnoEconomicFeasibilityofInstalling AfloatingSolarPanelSystemOnHdropowerReservoirinEthiopa
| dc.contributor.advisor | Solomon Tesfamariam | |
| dc.contributor.author | Haleluya Alemayehu | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-08-26T14:54:15Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-08-26T14:54:15Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026-06 | |
| dc.description.abstract | While minimizing land use, floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems are emerging as an effective method to enhance renewable energy production. This study investigate the efficiency and technical feasibility of floating solar PV system integrated with hydropower at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir. The dam was decided as the case study region due to its enormous water surface and considered importance in Ethiopia’s energy sector. In this work, a floating solar PV system with an installed capacity of 5.06 MWp was designed using PVSyst simulation software. After accounting for paths, pitch, and structural spacing, an area of 2.3% of 1 km² closed water surface area was seen as suitable for FPV installation which is 23,000 m² were utilized for the floating array. The system consists of fifteen central inverters to medium voltage transformer and the GERD high voltage substation at 220 KV. Number of modules are 11,500, 440 Wp solar panels arranged in many sub-arrays. The floating structure uses pontoon technology designed to adjust to the reservoir's water depth variations, which range from 594.16 meters to 623.38 meters, and has an anchoring cable length of 29.22 meters. According to simulation results, the performance ratio (PR) of 80.18% with system losses of 0.17 kWh/kWp/day. The open reservoir was estimated to lose 96.587 Mm³/year to evaporation. Including floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems reduced evaporation to 89.521 Mm³/year for the small-footprint configuration and 77.270 Mm³/year for the large-footprint configuration. These reductions correspond to annual water savings of 7.066 Mm³/year (7.32%) and 19.317 Mm³/year (20.0%), respectively, demonstrating that FPV coverage can substantially mitigate reservoir evaporation losses. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/8913 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.subject | Floating solar panel | |
| dc.subject | Sub array | |
| dc.subject | Performance ratio | |
| dc.subject | Normalized energy production | |
| dc.subject | PVSyst software. | |
| dc.title | TechnoEconomicFeasibilityofInstalling AfloatingSolarPanelSystemOnHdropowerReservoirinEthiopa | |
| dc.type | Thesis |