A geographic information system-assisted techno-economic assessment framework for aquavoltaic systems in shrimp farming

Aquavoltaic systems have garnered significant global interest as a solution to the land use conflicts posed by traditional photovoltaic (PV) systems while simultaneously offering benefits within the food–energy nexus. This study proposes a geographic information system (GIS)-assisted framework designed to determine the optimal techno-economic size and potential of aquavoltaic systems in shrimp farming. A GIS is employed to extract spatial information from shrimp ponds, including their locations and areas. Meteorological data pertinent to these locations are utilized as inputs for a PV-generation model. Additionally, optimal aerator operations, based on pond area and farmers' expectations, are determined to create accurate load profiles. Two objectives are established: (1) to identify the optimal aquavoltaic system size considering different system configurations (grid-connected, grid-connected with battery energy storage [BES], and standalone with BES) and (2) to quantify the potential of aquavoltaic systems with varying pond coverage (10%, 20%, and 30%). The proposed framework is validated using real-world data from shrimp farming regions in Thailand. The results indicate that the grid-connected aquavoltaic system is the most preferable configuration, with installed PV capacities varying between 2.78 kWp and 144 kWp, and net present values (NPVs) ranging from –$12,728 to $2,627 per pond. In this configuration, only 2.6% of the pond area is utilized for PV installations. Furthermore, aquavoltaic systems with 30% coverage can significantly boost installed PV capacity by up to 1.32 MWp and the NPV by up to $2.31 billion, contributing to the district's agricultural electricity consumption by approximately 25%. Remarkably, the results reveal that the proposed framework can enhance NPV by up to 4.41% compared to those of existing studies that do not consider spatial data and aerator requirements. This GIS-assisted framework offers a comprehensive and optimized strategy for implementing aquavoltaic systems in shrimp farming, highlighting substantial economic and sustainability benefits.