Floating Photovoltaic in Chile: Potential for Clean Energy Generation and Water Protection

Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) has the potential to mitigate climate change while adapting to its consequences. Photovoltaic (PV) systems installed on a water surface enable synergies such as higher generation efficiency and reduced evaporation. Although there is growing interest in FPV, there has been no structured analysis of Chile's technical and economic potential. We provide the first national-level estimate of FPV potential, using filtered geo-datasets and meteorological data to compute PV yields and impact on water evaporation. We find a technical potential of 6.3 - 16.6 GWp for FPV, predominantly in the central zone between the Coquimbo and Biobío regions. The derived potential for FPV could provide 13 - 33% of the current national annual electricity generation while protecting over 118 million m3 of water per year from evaporation. Further, we derive average levelized cost of energy for utility-scale FPV projects in central regions between 51-55 USD MWh-1. Future research to understand the impact on evaporation and the effects of large-scale FPV implementation on the national electricity grid should be carried out to enable synergetic development.