Aquavoltaics: Dual use of natural and artificial water bodies for aquaculture and solar power generation

As the world’s population increases and competition for land rises, dual-use approaches are becoming essential solutions in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors. With the constantly growing aquaculture industry and the increasing demand for eco-friendly production processes, the necessity for employing optimized aquaculture systems, supplied by renewable energies, gaining progressively attention in the global food production sector. Aquavoltaics represents a dual-use approach, enabling the coproduction of aquatic animals and solar electricity. The integration of photovoltaic (PV) technology with aquaculture creates synergies as aquatic farming can benefit from module shading effects when temperatures are high, while modules’ efficiency values are enhanced at the same time due to the proximity to cool water environments. Aquaculture systems are characterized by a very high energy input, mainly due to their need for artificial oxygen supply. The electric power generation using floating, elevated, or other forms of PV modules integration offers the possibility to substitute fossil-based energy sources without the occupation of additional land. To maximize the productivity of aquavoltaic systems, the coverage of PV modules and the mounting of the whole system require careful considerations. This chapter focuses on decisive aquacultural farming parameters including temperature, light availability, and oxygen supply, discussing them in the context of different PV integration approaches. To improve technical solutions, more research is required to be conducted in the future to investigate the direct impacts of aquavoltaics on fish farming and the aquatic ecosystem.