Technical Feasibility Study of a Grid-Tied 85 MW Floating Solar PV Power Plant in Benghazi – Libya

Abstract

The growing worldwide demand for power has increased the quest for low-impact alternative sources, with solar photovoltaic being highlighted as one of the most feasible choices. However, solar power plants need extensive ground areas, which are a significant constraint. This restriction may be overcome if the panels are positioned on bodies of water. From this standpoint, the idea of Floating photovoltaic system installed in water bodies such as natural lakes or dams’ reservoirs was emerged, which provides advantages, the most important of which is an increase in production capacity as a result of the low temperature of the panel.in this search examined the possibility of floating PV systems for Benghazi Libya's Great Omar al-Mukhtar reservoir and was then compared to the same system but on the land. The architecture of the two PV systems was planned with the optimum tilt angle and photovoltaic spacing between the two systems in mind. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA) System Advisor Model (SAM) was utilized to perform energy simulations based on meteorological data and system architecture. The findings showed that the planned floating PV system has risen by 4.16 percent over the ground PV system.