Floating Photovoltaic Installation at Off River Storage Facilities to Optimize Infrastructure Utilization

Extended Abstract Solar or photovoltaic power has been a source of energy for many years and the number of installations of large-scale solar panel or commonly known as the solar farm worldwide is increasing significantly. It is an indication of global initiative towards replacing the mainstream energy source namely the fossil fuel which is predicted to deplete in 2030. Among the challenges of establishing photovoltaic as a power source is space availability as solar farm can be land-intensive and vacant lands are very limited. The solution to this problem is by installing photovoltaic panels over water by means of buoyancy and this has given the name widely referred to as floating solar panels or floating photovoltaic (FPV). FPV is most often deployed on massive water bodies such as dams and reservoir but one of the strategic locations for the installation of FPV worth considering is the off-river storage facilities. The establishment of off-river storage facility in Malaysia is becoming a priority to the nation as the country has been facing water shortage issue for the past decades despite receiving an average of 2000 mm to 2500 mm of rainfall annually. The project, which is called Takungan Air Pinggiran Sungai (TAPS), or riverside water storage, has entered the implementation phase where the government has invested in its construction in Malaysia especially the areas with high population [1]-[2]. The main concept of TAPS is to divert excessive stormwater from the river during heavy rain and store the water as reserve to support the main water supply for consumers.