Potential of usage of the floating photovoltaic systems on natural and artificial lakes in the Republic of Serbia.

The Republic of Serbia has a significant potential for the electricity production from solar energy, namely the floating photovoltaic (PV) systems, which are not exploited enough. Although there is a large interest in floating photovoltaic systems (FPVS) worldwide, studies related to the assessment of FPVS potential in this part of Europe have not been performed yet. This paper investigates, for the first time, the possibility of implementation of the FPVS on the six largest Serbian lakes and demonstrates the impact of geographical location on the energy output of the FPVS for the selected locations. The possibility of implementation is studied by simulating the energy output of FPVS using "PVGIS" tool. Energy production from the proposed FPVS, for selected locations, is discussed on a monthly and yearly basis. Installment of the FPVS on these water bodies can produce up to 8959 kWh of energy, while saves 164 · 10 6 m 3 / y e a r of water from evaporation at the same time. In addition, the annual reduction of carbon dioxide emissions was analyzed and found to be up to 6.34 tons per year, which further implies with carbon credit potential of up to 9741 € in 20 years period. Drawn conclusions provides better understanding of FPVS and their applicability in the Republic of Serbia to ensure a sustainable, ecological friendly, secure and reliable supply of green energy, and further the used approach can be easily applied in other countries with similar geographical characteristics. • Methodology for the application of floating PV systems on water bodies. • FPVS on six largest lakes in Serbia are able to produce up to 8959 kWh of energy. • FPVS could mitigate up to 126.8 tons of carbon dioxide in 20 years. • The Government of Serbia could earn total carbon credit per year from 381 to 487 €. • FPVS could save 3280 million cubic meters of water from evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]