Floating solar on Colombia’s reservoirs: opportunities, challenges, and regulatory pathways |
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Chica E.(1), Laura Velásquez(1), Rubio-Clemente A.(1,2) 1. Grupo de Investigación Energía Alternativa, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín, Colombia.
2026-06-27 |
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Abstract
Hydroelectric reservoirs in Colombia are vast, underutilized surfaces with enormous potential in complementary renewable generation via floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems. The study assesses the technical potential and feasibility of FPV deployment in the country’s largest hydroelectric power plants, such as Guavio, San Carlos, Ituango, Chivor, Sogamoso, Porce III, Pagua, Guatapé, and Betania, each exceeding 500 megawatts (MW) of effective net capacity. In order to avail the available information from existing reservoir surface and solar irradiance maps and in terms of typical FPV performance variables, potential annual energy production is estimated over several (5%, 15%, and 30%) coverage scenarios. Our research demonstrates that even a conservative deployment (≤5% for instance) could generate several terawatt-hours (TWh) per year, providing considerable contributions to Colombia’s renewable energy mix with lower evaporation losses and better grid stability with hydro-solar hybridization. It also includes environmental, technical, and operational challenges such as aquatic ecosystem impacts, anchoring and maintenance, as well as the variability of water levels. Moreover, the paper reviews Colombia’s new regulatory regime, including the National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA) processes and the Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG) grid-connection regulations, to identify possible avenues for more efficient project authorization and integration. In general, the research presents floating solar technology as a practical and logical add-on to the hydroelectric infrastructure, in the context of Colombia’s energy transition and decarbonization ambitions.
Key words: Floating photovoltaic systems, Hydroelectric reservoirs, Renewable energy integration, Colombia energy transition, Environmental and regulatory assessment.
Published in: Energies
& Quality Journal (E&QJ) |
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| ISSUE: Vol. 4. No.1 | Pages: 13-19 |
| E-ISSN: 2659-8779 | Date of Current Version: 2026-06-27 |
| REF: 208-26 | Issue Date: 2026-07-15 |
| DOI:10.24084/eqj26-208 | Publisher: AEDERMACP/ EA4EPQ |
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