Design and Simulation of a Floating Solar Power Plant for Goreagab Dam, Namibia

Abstract

There is an increasing trend across the globe in establishing solar power plants in water ways and dams. This chapter presents, for the first time, the design and analysis of a typical floating solar power plant on the water surface of the Goreagab dam located in Namibia. Engineering design of the components is carried out in Google-SketchUp, and the standard System Advisory Model software is used for performance analysis. Three different case scenarios have been considered to study the possible extents of plant sizes and capacities. Design, simulations, and the analysis strongly favor the possibilities of establishing a floating solar power plant in the Goreagab dam. Additional benefits can be realized if an appropriate agrivoltaic ecosystem is established.