Floating Solar PV and Hydropower in Australia: Feasibility, Future Investigations and Challenges

As floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) technology has become increasingly popular due to its many benefits, the potential of combining an FPV and hydropower plant (HPP) has also come to light. Many studies have been conducted covering its potential globally and locally, while only two of these hybrid plants currently exist in the world. No local studies have been conducted in Australia to analyse the potential of a hybrid floating photovoltaic (FPV) and hydropower plant (HPP), as such, this paper conducts a literature review in order to gain an understanding of the benefits and requirements of a hybrid plant. HPP locations in Australia where a hybrid plant may be established are also proposed, and a small analysis is conducted on their potential.