RT Journal Article
T1 Floating solar photovoltaic energy for coastal areas: A siting methodology
A1 Fouz, David Mateo
A1 Carballo Sánchez, Rodrigo
A1 López Moreira, Iván
A1 Álvarez Fernández, Borja
A1 Iglesias Rodríguez, Gregorio
K1 Floating solar energy
K1 FPV systems
K1 Nearshore areas
K1 Estuaries
K1 CAPEX
AB The decision-making process at the early stages of marine renewable energy projects typically faces considerable uncertainties. Amongst them, identifying the most suitable cost-effective locations is a key aspect, for which several novel indices have been proposed recently. In the case of floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) energy, a nascent technology, efforts have focused on offshore sites, possibly to the detriment of nearshore options of high interest such as estuaries. Granted, coastal areas present specific challenges, not least their high environmental value and the coexistence of many uses of the marine space, the compatibility of which ought to be accurately assessed. In this work, the Integrated Floating Solar Energy (IFSE) index is proposed for siting FPV farms in coastal areas. This novel index is based on a comprehensive methodology, which considers the aspects relevant to the decision-making process: (i) the exploitable resource, (ii) the costs of installation, and (iii) the socioeconomic and environmental aspects. The IFSE index is applied to a case study in the Ría de Vigo, an estuary in NW Spain, leading to the delimitation of an area of about 7 km2 as that with the highest interest, and showing the capability of this index to significantly contribute to the decision-making process for the deployment of FPV farms in coastal areas.
PB Elsevier
SN 0959-6526
YR 2025
FD 2025-10-15
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43884
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43884
LA eng
NO Fouz, D. M., Carballo, R., López, I., Álvarez, B., & Iglesias, G. (2025). Floating solar photovoltaic energy for coastal areas: A siting methodology. Journal of Cleaner Production, 528, 146733. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146733
NO This work was supported by ‘Axudas para a consolidación e estruturación de unidades de investigación competitivas e outras accións de fomento nas universidades do Sistema Universitario de Galicia (2023-25)’ with reference number ED431B 2023/17. During this work D.M. Fouz was supported by the postdoctoral orientation period of a predoctoral grant of the ‘Convocatoria de con- tratos predoutorais do Campus de Especialización Campus Terra’ with reference number 8042 272B 64100 and ‘Axudas para a consolidación e estruturación de unidades de investigación competitivas e outras accións de fomento nas universidades do Sistema Universitario de Galicia (2025-28)’ with reference number ED431C 2025/17.
DS Minerva
RD 30 abr 2026