Background

Floating solar photovoltaics, or “floating PV”, offer an opportunity for scaling up the deployment of renewable energy on inland and offshore bodies of water. Floating PV presents the opportunity to: increase clean energy generation to help meet growing demand; lessen the potential for land-use conflicts; help existing hydropower systems optimize their operation; and adapt to increasing temperatures and drought events by reducing the rate of evapotranspiration of waterways. There is significant promise for floating PV deployment in several Southeast Asian countries, especially those rich in hydropower resources, such as Laos and Thailand, but deployment remains limited.

Objectives

This deep dive workshop will present:

  • NREL’s research on (1) the policy, economic, environmental, and cultural barriers that currently exist, (2) recently completed modeling exercise on the potential operational benefits of pairing floating PV and hydropower, (3) international best practices that can be adopted to Southeast Asia, and (4) plans for high-resolution floating PV technical potential assessment.
  • Perspectives from grid operators and developers on FPV deployment in Southeast Asia region.

Agenda

Time (Manila) Activities
10:30 - 10:40 a.m. Opening Remarks

  • Ms. Amanda Van den Dool, Sustainable Energy and Safeguards Team Lead, USAID/RDMA
10:40 - 10:55 a.m. Policy, economic, environmental, and cultural barriers to implementation & potential operational benefits of pairing floating PV and hydropower

  • Ms. Sika Gadzanku, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
10:55 - 11:15 a.m. EGAT’s Hydro-Floating Solar Hybrid Project

  • Mr. Chatchai Mawong - Director of Hydro and Renewable Energy Power Plant Development Division, Electric Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) – recording
11:15 - 11:35 a.m. Technology and Case-sharing of Sungrow FPV

  • Ms. Sa Sha, APAC Director, Sungrow
11:35 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Q&A / Panel Discussion

  • Moderator: Sika Gadzanku
  • Ms. Sika Gadzanku, Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  • Ms. Sa Sha, APAC Director, Sungrow
  • Uma Rajarathnam, Vice President & Global Head of Applied Research and Collaboration at Enzen Global Solutions Pvt Ltd

About Organizer

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID’s work safeguards this mission and puts countries on a path to pursue clean energy growth and resilient, low-carbon development. Countries around the world are feeling the effects of climate change, from more intense heat waves, droughts, floods and storms to slower-moving changes like ocean acidification. USAID is sharing world-class knowledge, data and tools to ensure countries can predict, prepare for and adapt to change. USAID also helps countries lay the foundations for sustainable growth powered by clean energy and healthy landscapes. https://www.usaid.gov/

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US specializes in the research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy systems integration, and sustainable transportation. NREL is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Department of Energy and operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, a joint venture between MRIGlobal and Battelle. Located in Golden, Colorado, NREL is home to the National Center for Photovoltaics, the National Bioenergy Center, and the National Wind Technology Center.

Point of Contact

Derina Man
NREL
Email