article · Water
Lake Nasser in Egypt is one of the world largest artificial lakes, spanning approximately 5,250 square kilometres, situated in a nation facing severe water poverty. To address critical challenges linking water and energy security, an assessment evaluated the deployment of floating photovoltaic panels across the lake surface. Covering fifty percent of Lake Nasser with floating solar panels demonstrated substantial dual benefits for water conservation and power generation. This configuration achieved a 61.71 percent reduction in water evaporation, conserving over nine billion cubic metres of water annually. Simultaneously, the installation yielded an estimated 467.99 terawatt-hours of electricity per year. The findings indicate that partial coverage of large artificial reservoirs using floating solar technology presents an effective option for preserving vital freshwater while generating renewable electricity in water-stressed environments.
Water-stressed regions face severe challenges linking freshwater availability and energy supply. Demonstrating that large-scale floating solar installations can simultaneously preserve billions of cubic metres of evaporating water while generating substantial renewable electricity provides a practical dual solution for countries managing water scarcity and energy demands.
The findings are relevant to utility-scale renewable power developers, national grid operators, and water resource management authorities. Based on the abstract, the work represents an early-stage modelling assessment of reservoir coverage rather than an applied pilot or near-market trial, indicating that practical commercialisation would require extensive feasibility studies, environmental reviews, and major capital infrastructure.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Water resources are considered one of the most critical and indispensable elements to ensure the survival of all living organisms on the planet. Since there is a close relationship between water, energy, and food security, this interdependence presents a major global societal challenge. While Egypt is one of the countries that suffers the most from water poverty, it has Lake Nasser which is considered one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, with an estimated area of about 5250 km2. Hence, this work aims to conserve such water resources while addressing two critical issues related to water and energy. To achieve this goal, this study proposed the use of partial coverage technology on Lake Nasser with floating photovoltaic (FPV) panels. The results of the study showed that the partial coverage of Lake Nasser with FPV panels represents a very effective proposal to preserve the water resources of Egypt, which suffers from water poverty. The savings in water evaporation in Lake Nasser reached 61.71% (9,074,081,000 m3/year) and the annual rate of electricity production was 467.99 TWh/year when 50% of the area of Lake Nasser was covered with FPV panels.
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DOI: 10.3390/w15040635
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