This document discusses the design of a 1 MWp floating solar photovoltaic power plant that could be installed on reservoirs in Indonesia. It analyzes the solar radiation potential of three reservoirs and designs a system using 300W solar panels arranged in four 250 kW inverters across four blocks and 20 strings each. A cost analysis estimates the monthly power generation and income from a 1 MWp system would be around Rp. 31,600 per watt peak. The system is intended to connect to Indonesia's national electric grid to supply excess electricity generated.

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Design of 1 MWp floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) power plant in Indonesia
Conference Paper in AIP Conference Proceedings · April 2019
DOI: 10.1063/1.5098188
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2. AIP Conference Proceedings 2097, 030013 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5098188 2097, 030013
© 2019 Author(s).
Design of 1 MWp floating solar photovoltaic
(FSPV) power plant in Indonesia
Cite as: AIP Conference Proceedings 2097, 030013 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5098188
Published Online: 23 April 2019
Chico Hermanu B. A., Budi Santoso, Suyitno, and F. X. Rian Wicaksono

3. Design of 1 MWp Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FSPV) Power
Plant in Indonesia
Chico Hermanu B A1, a)
, Budi Santoso2
, Suyitno2
, FX. Rian Wicaksono1
1
Department of Electrical Engineering, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia
a)
Corresponding author: chico@ft.uns.ac.id
Abstract. The constant depletion of fossil fuels and high energy demand make renewable energy sources not only
unlimited energy sources in the future, but also environmentally friendly and sustainable for the environment. Although
solar power plants have some advantages over other forms of power generation, the main problem is the land
requirements that are virtually unavailable in the world and the cost. The solution is to overcome the limitations of land
with the existence of solar power plants. FSPV can be installed in any water section that will not only lower the land cost
but will also increase the amount of generation by the cooling effect of water. Modeling and simulation for FSPV design
is done on three reservoirs in Indonesia. The 1MWp design is arranged on 4 inverters with each having a 250 kWp
capacity spread over 4 blocks and 20 strings respectively.
INTRODUCTION
The use of photovoltaic (PV) has increased very rapidly in recent years. In 2015, the PV market had achieved a
massive expansion on a world scale with an installed capacity of 230GW, where its development began to move
from Europe to Asia and the USA [1].
This is certainly not without reason. With the massive movement in the use of clean and environmentally
friendly energy, solar power has the highest attractiveness from society because of the abundant and endless energy
resource. Easy installation, semiconductor technology as a basis for growing PV technology, and policy intensives
are the main reasons why PV is increasingly favoured by the public [2]. PV converts solar radiation into electrical
energy without polluting the environment. PV performance itself depends on climatic conditions, electrical
operation parameters, and design parameters such as temperature, solar irradiance, etc. In general, PV can convert 4-
17% of solar radiation into electrical energy, depending on the factors above. The higher the intensity of solar
radiation will increase the module temperature and will reduce PV cell efficiency [3]. Each 1˚C increase in the PV
module will reduce the efficiency by 0.5%. With the increase in temperature, not all solar energy absorbed by PV is
converted into electrical energy. According to the law of energy conservation, the remaining solar energy will be
converted to heat. The consequences of this high residual heat will have the effect of reducing overall conversion
efficiency [4].
Indonesia as an agrarian and archipelago country has a lot of water bodies scattered in almost all regions. When
linked to PV, this water body can be a solution for reducing land saving costs and operating power generation costs,
and on the other hand can also reduce the impact due to temperature increases in PV which will have an effect on
increasing PV efficiency. So, this is a good solution to utilize water bodies and help improve economic viability of
the solar project. Energy from PV through renewable energy sources produces low efficiency and is less than 15%
in its useful life. With floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV), electricity will be generated more than the ground-
mounted and rooftop solar system because of the cooling effect of the water body. FSPV also reduces reservoir
The 4th International Conference on Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, and Chemical Engineering
AIP Conf. Proc. 2097, 030013-1–030013-7; https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5098188
Published by AIP Publishing. 978-0-7354-1827-1/$30.00
030013-1

4. evaporation and algae growth by shading water bodies. Floating platforms are 100% recyclable, using high-density
polyethylene which can reduce UV light and corrosion [5].
This paper will discuss several things, namely reviewing the potential of water bodies in Indonesia and designing
an FSPV design that can be applied in Indonesia with an installed capacity of 1MWp.
FLOATING SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC (FSPV)
As discussed in the previous section, FSPV is a concept of utilizing a water body as a PV installation area,
certainly not independent of floating technology. In short, FSPV is a combination of PV technology and floating
technology that produces electricity generation.
The most important parameter in evaluating the performance of FSPV is that effective conversion efficiency in
operative conditions, which has an impact on electricity generation as the main objective of the FSPV components.
PV module conversion efficiency is a comparison between the electricity generated and the solar radiation intensity
incident, which is formulated according to [5] as follows:
𝜂!" =
𝑃!"#
𝑆×𝐴!"
×100%
Where 𝜂!" is electrical efficiency (%), 𝑃!"# is the power generated by the PV module (W), S is solar radiation
intensity incident in the PV module (W / m 2
), and A PV is the surface of PV exposed by solar radiation (m 2
).
FIGURE 1 Outline FSPV [6]
In order for the solar panel to float on the water as shown in Figure 1, a float is needed. The main buoy is made of
high-density thermoplastic (HDPE) and is set at 12-degree angles to support standard solar panel modules.
SOLAR RADIATION
In designing FSPV in Indonesia, the potential of the water body used is taken from the data of 3 large reservoirs
in Indonesia, namely Nipah Reservoir, Wonorejo Reservoir, and Widas Reservoir. The amount of electricity
produced depends on solar radiation (daily) solar radiation somewhere. Solar radiation in the reservoir can be seen
in Tab le 1 and Figure 3. The annual solar radiation for the 3 highest reservoirs is Nipah Reservoir. This potential is
not supported by the area of the Nipah Reservoir. The maximum solar radiation in each reservoir is used for FSPV
planning.
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5. FIGURE 2 Daily Solar Radiation Chart
DESIGN OF 1MWP FSPV
In this plan FSPV will be built with an on-grid system (without using energy storage components) that will be
connected to the national electric company network. The reason of choosing this system is cheaper, designed power
capacity by 5 M Wp excess electrical energy generated and supplied to PLN. The needs of the solar panels that will
be used in the system along with calculations for the design of the FSPV are shown in Table 2.
TABLE 1. Calculation of Design Requirements for Solar Panels
Solar Panel Specification
In planning the construction of FSPV Photovoltaic Floating Solar Station using solar panels such as Crystalline
silicon modules made in Germany (300W PREMIUM-Power Panels of PH series Mono crystalline, Full Black,
ANTI-REFLEX Solar Glass) which is a type of medium type solar panel with a capacity of 300 WP per panel. The
following are the general specifications of the planned solar panels.
Nipah Wonorejo Widas
Total Power Capacity MWp 1 1 1 1
Average Sun Radiation / Day Hour 2 5 5 5
Total Power / Day Mwp/day 3=1x2 5 5 5
Total Wp/Day Wp/day 4=3 5000000 5000000 5000000
Solar Panel Power Watt 5 300 300 300
Daily Solar Radiation kW-h/m2/day 6 7.09 6.22 6.07
Division of Total W-h/day with Solar Insolation Wp 7=4/6 705219 803859 823723
Backup Factor for Panel Inefficiency 8 1.3 1.3 1.3
Total Power/Day MWp/day 9=7x8 916784.7 1045017 1070840
Number of Solar Panel 10=9/5 3055.949 3483.389 3569.466
Number of Block 11 4 4 4
Number of Module/String 12 20 20 20
Number of String 13 40 44 45
Number of Sola Panel to Array 14=11x12x13 3200 3520 3600
Solar Panel Area m2 15 1.94 1.94 1.94
Total Solar Panel Area Needed m2 16=14x15 6208 6828.8 6984
Total Area Needed m2 17 8000 9000 9000
System Efficiency % 18 0.7 0.7 0.7
Power Generated/Day MWp/day 19=15x5 4.8 5.28 5.4
Power Generated/Year MWp/year 20=(365)x5 1752 1927 1971
Parameter Unit Tag
Reservoir
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6. TABLE 2. Solar Panel Rating
Wattp (W) 300 WP
DC Voltage (Vmp (V)) 36.20 V
DC Current (Imp (A)) 8.30 A
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc (V)) 45.20 V
Short Circuit Current (Isc (A)) 8.71 A
Solar Panel Dimensions ( L x W x Th) mm 1956 × 992 × 50 mm
Warranty 25 years
System Configuration
Divided into 4 groups with a total capacity of each group of 250 kW so that it is added to 1 MWp. Each string
consists of 20 solar panels as many as 40 lines for Nipah Reservoir, 44 for the Wonorejo Reservoir and 45 for Widas
Reservoir.
FIGURE 3 System Configuration
Inverter and MPPT Specification
Inverter type: central inverter (recommended)
Recommended Specifications:
TABLE 3. Input (DC)
Maximum power input 300 kWp
DC Voltage Range, MPP (UDC) 450 to 750 V (-825 V)
Maximum DC voltage (Umax (DC)) 900 V (1000 V)
Maximum DC Current (Imax (DC)) 600 A
030013-4

7. TABLE 4. Output (AC)
Nominal DC power output (PN(AC)) 250 kW
AC current nominal (IN (AC)) 485 A
Nominal output voltage (UN (AC)) 300 V
To meet the criteria as mentioned above, central ABB production inverters or other relevant inverters can be
used. ABB produces PSV800-57-0250kW-A inverters that meet the above criteria. It takes 4 PSV800-57-0250kW-
A inverters to meet the power generation of 1MW.
Power Cable and Grounding Specification
In general, cable / wiring needs must be adjusted to the voltage and current rating of both DC systems and AC
systems in the FSPV.
1.The connection cable between solar modules uses NYAF with a diameter adjusting the current in PV
strings (SPLN / SNI).
2.The power cable from the junction box to the solar charge controller uses NYY or NYAF cable with a
diameter adjusting the current (SPLN / SNI).
3.The power cable from the battery to the inverter using NYAF type in diameter adjusts the amount of
current in the battery (SPLN / SNI).
4.Power cable from the inverter to the distribution panel uses NYY or NYAF type with a diameter
adjusting the current magnitude of the inverter (SPLN / SNI).
5.The Gounding system of the PV array buffer uses NYY yellow green 35 mm2 (SPLN / SNI) cable.
6.The cable above must be equipped with the appropriate cable terminal and connector.
7.Grounding installation equipment using BC type conveyor.
8.Cable specifications used must be in accordance with SPLN and LMK.
Phontoon Specification
Photon that will be used later adjusts the dimensions of the dimensions of the solar panel which is 1956 × 992 ×
50 mm, with material made of HDPE, a type of floating solar panel. The function of Phontoon is as the main float
and maintenance line in the FSPV.
SIMULATION RESULT AND ANALYSIS
FSPV Potency in Indonesia
The area needed for the 1 MWp AC PLTS plant for each reservoir plotted in the reservoir will produce reservoir
power potential. Table 2 provides information on the surface area of the reservoir needed to generate PLTS 1 MWp
AC is 8000 m2 for the Nipah Reservoir, 9000 m2 for the Wonorejo Reservoir and 9000 m2 for the Widas Reservoir.
After the area needed for PLTS 1 MWp AC is plotted on the surface, the area of 4000 m2 is 2 parts for Nipah
Reservoir, 9000 m2 is 48 parts for the Wonorejo Reservoir and 48,000 m2 is for 48 parts for Widas Reservoir. The
location of these parts can be seen in Fig. 8, 9 and 10.
030013-5

8. Thus the reservoir power potential can be obtained, as shown in Tab le 4 . The reservoir power potential for PLTS is
the Wonorejo Reservoir of 253 MWp AC, Widas Reservoir of 97 MWp AC and Nipah Reservoir of 4.8 MWp AC.
A C C
FIGURE 4 FSPV location A.) at Nipah Reservoir with 4000 m 2
is two parts, B.) on the Wonorejo Reservoir with 9000 m 2
is 48
parts, C.) at Widas Reservoir with 9000 m 2
is 18 parts
Cost Analysis on 1MWp FSPV
Ministry Regulation No. 17 of 2013 concerning procedures for purchasing electricity by PT. PLN (Persero) from
photo voltaik PLTS. For the highest price benchmark is US $ 25 cents / kWh (Rp. 3300 / kWh) and there are
features for PLTS that use photovoltaic modules with a domestic component level of at least 40% set at the highest
price is US $ 30 cents / kWh (Rp. 3960 / kWh). The price of electric power per PLP is: Year 12 Bangli PLTS 1000.8
kWp DC with a total investment of Rp. 28,973,651,000 so that the cost per WP is Rp. 28. 950, - / Wp. Information
on procurement of PLTS jobs in Indonesia is Rp. 30. 000, - / Wp. Calculation using the software Solar Technology
AG, "Sunny Design 3 Software Report Design" is obtained Rp. 31 600, - / Wp. Table 5 shows the generated power /
month for 1 MWp of the third AC reservoir. Monthly income is shown in Table 5
TABLE 5. Monthly Power Generation and Income
For floating PV systems, the assumption taken is
1.Power generated is 1 MWp AC
2.Power per WP is Rp. 31. 600, - / Wp [9].
3.Floating structural costs (phonton) is 25% of PLTS investment
030013-6

9. 4.Increased plant capacity because it is 10% above water
5.The decrease in generating capacity in the first year is 1% and the next year is 0.7%.
6.The first year of operation and maintenance is 1% of the total investment of floating solar power plants
and the following year increases 5% of the previous year's operations and maintenance.
7.The interest rate is 10% per year
8.The solar panel age is 20 years old
9.The highest FSPV electricity selling price is Rp. 3960 / kWh
10. The general electricity selling price is Rp. 1459 / kWh
TABLE 6. Overall Cost Analysis
CONCLUSION
In this paper, the design for 1MWp FSPV in Indonesia has been described. The results obtained are an FSPV
design with the potential of water bodies in Indonesia capable of providing more than 1MWp of energy output.
1MWp is divided into 4 inverters, each of which has a size of 250kWp. This shows the potential of abundant water
bodies in Indonesia to be one of the keys to providing clean and environmentally friendly energy with a large
capacity. By applying an electricity selling price of Rp 2609 / kWh, the FSPV can actually provide positive results.
In the future works, design and optimization of FSPV components in the form of floater can be investigated so that it
can support FSPV operations and increase the feasibility of FSPV economically and investment. Other things that
also need to be examined are other supporting components such as design and optimization for lower cabling cost.
REFERENCES
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Plant for Energy Generation at Jodhpur in India,” IEEE International Conference on Technological
Advancements in Power and Energy (TAP Energy), 2017.
3. N. Yadav, M. Gupta, and K. Sudhakar, "Energy Assessment of Floating Photovoltaic System," 2016
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