Effects of a Floating Photovoltaic System on the Water Evaporation Rate in the Passauna Reservoir, Brazil

Freshwater scarcity is a significant concern due to climate change in some regions of Brazil; likewise, evaporation rates have increased over the years. Floating photovoltaic systems can reduce water evaporation from reservoirs by suppressing the evaporating area on the water surface. This work evaluated the effects of floating photovoltaic systems on water evaporation rates in the Passauna Reservoir, southeastern Brazil. Meteorological data such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation were used to estimate the rate of water evaporation using FAO Penman-Monteith, Linacre, Hargreaves-Samani, Rohwer, and Valiantzas methods. The methods were tested with the Kruskal-Wallis test, including measured evaporation from the nearest meteorological station to determine whether there were significant differences between the medians of the methods considering a 95% confidence level for hypothesis testing. All methods differed from the standard method recommended by the FAO Penman-Monteith. Simulations with more extensive coverage areas of the floating photovoltaic system were carried out to verify the relationship between the surface water coverage area and the evaporation reduction efficiency provided by the system and to obtain the avoided water evaporation volume. For the floating photovoltaic system with a coverage area of 1265.14 m(2), an efficiency of 60.20% was obtained in reducing water evaporation; future expansions of the FPS were simulated with coverage areas corresponding to energy production capacities of 1 MWp, 2.5 MWp, and 5 MWp. The results indicated that for a floating photovoltaic system coverage area corresponding to 5 MWp of energy production capacity, the saved water volume would be enough to supply over 196 people for a year. More significant areas, such as covering up the entire available surface area of the Passauna reservoir with a floating photovoltaic system, could save up to 2.69 hm(3) of water volume annually, representing a more significant value for the public management of water resources.