Federally controlled reservoirs in the United States have "ample" potential for floating solar system generation capacity, ranging from an estimated 861 GW to 1,042 GW, NREL said in a new study.
These estimates have the potentia floating solar system to generate about half of the solar energy needed to decarbonize the US electric grid by 2050, according to NREL.
While this range is consistent with previous studies' attempts to quantify floating photovoltaics potential, the study found that the wide variability in reservoir suitabilfloating photovoltaics development is based on site-specific factors in the United States.
The study helps better inform not only how much floating solar capacity may be available, but also where this capacity may be more likely to be built, the researchers said. Floating solar's potential is broadly, but not equally spatially distributed throughout the United States, said the researchers.
the study found a wide range of estimated potential floating solar system sizes, most (57%) are between 10 MW and 1 GW in size with a median of 123 MW. In what the researchers said is a "conservative scenario," Texas contains approximately 16% of the nation's total floating solar capacity.
Resource potential at U.S. federally controlled reservoirs.
Image: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Floating photovoltaics potential is well-distributed throughout the U.S. (excluding areas where potential reservoirs had too cold of temperatures to considered). The researchers found the southeast and southern plains states generally had reservoirs with the largest capacities.
The U.S. has more floating solar system potential than any other country in the world, according to a study published in Nature Sustainability in March 2023.
Interest in floating solar is rising, especially since the "Protect our Waters and Expand Renewables on our Reservoirs Act" was introduced by Rep. Paul Tonko, D- N.Y., and Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., in December 2022.
