Economic and Sustainability Assessment of Floating Photovoltaic Systems in Irrigation Ponds: A Case Study from Alicante (Spain)

María Inmaculada López-Ortiz (), Joaquín Melgarejo-Moreno and José Alberto Redondo-Orts ()
Additional contact information
María Inmaculada López-Ortiz: University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
Joaquín Melgarejo-Moreno: University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
José Alberto Redondo-Orts: University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: Environmental problems, along with the increasing energy demand and high electricity costs in the agricultural sector, justify the need to explore renewable energy sources in order to improve irrigation efficiency and sustainability. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyse the feasibility of installing floating photovoltaic panels in the irrigation ponds of irrigation communities (ICs) in the province of Alicante . To this end, a practical case study based on the operating data of a photovoltaic installation on an irrigation pond, which shows 31% self-consumption and a 27% reduction in energy costs, is presented. Based on these results, this type of installation has been considered for the rest of the ponds in the province of Alicante, with an estimated total investment of EUR 130 million and annual savings of EUR 23 million in energy costs. Additionally, barriers such as the initial investment and the need for public financing for large-scale implementation are identified. Finally, it is concluded that the adoption of floating photovoltaic energy represents a key opportunity to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, mitigate environmental impact, and promote the circular economy in the agricultural sector.

Keywords: photovoltaic energy; self-consumption; sustainability; circular economy; energy savings; water management; irrigation; land use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/6212/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/6212/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:6212-:d:1696195

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().