The Itaipú Binacional hydropower plant, located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, has started the construction of an innovative energy project. It will build a floating solar plant at Itaipú.
This ambitious initial project involves the installation of 1584 solar panels of 705 watts each, mounted on 4199 floaters.
The company has already begun the installation of the floaters on the reservoir lake, marking a strategic step towards energy transition and the diversification of its generation sources.
The Brazilian general director of Itaipú, Enio Verri, highlighted the role of the plant as a pioneer in the innovation of the electrical sector.
Steady progress in energy transition with the floating solar plant
“Projects like this help us understand how new technologies can complement the plant’s operations without affecting its main mission: to generate safe, reliable, and sustainable hydropower,” he stated.
This ambitious initial project involves the installation of 1584 solar panels of 705 watts each, mounted on 4199 floaters. Once this stage is completed, the solar island will have a capacity of 1 megawatt, enough to supply energy to approximately 650 households.
The first phase of the installation, which includes 132 panels, has already been fixed in the water. The plant is expected to be fully operational before the end of the year.
The initial goal is for all the energy produced to be used for Itaipú Binacional’s internal consumption. According to Rogério Meneghetti, superintendent of Renewable Energy at the company, this experience will allow for a comparison of the efficiency of solar generation on water versus on land.
A renewable energy giant
The significance of this project becomes clearer when considering the vast potential of the Itaipú reservoir. Theoretically, covering just 10% of its surface with floating solar panels could achieve an installed capacity of 14,000 megawatts, the same power as the hydropower plant itself.
Currently, the Itaipú plant is one of the largest in the world, with an installed capacity of 14,000 megawatts. It supplies around 10% of Brazil’s energy demand and an impressive 86% of Paraguay’s.
Advantages of floating panels
Floating solar panels offer several significant advantages over traditional land-based solar systems. Among others:
- Higher efficiency: the main advantage of these systems is the natural cooling effect of the water. Solar panels operate more efficiently at lower temperatures.
- Space utilization: they allow for the use of large water surfaces that would otherwise not have a productive use, such as reservoirs, lakes, ponds, or irrigation channels.
- Reduction of evaporation: by covering the water surface, they act as a barrier, significantly reducing water evaporation, thus conserving a vital resource.
- Better integration with existing infrastructure: it is possible to combine floating solar energy with existing hydropower plants, leveraging the electrical transmission infrastructure and creating a more efficient hybrid system.
