In June, the UK Government released its long-anticipated solar roadmap, setting out a bold commitment to increase the nation’s solar capacity to 75GW by 2035.
Crucially, the roadmap explicitly recognises floating solar as a key technology that could help to meet this target.
“At AquaGen365 we are encouraged by the UK Government’s recognition of the technology and the role that floating solar energy will play in the country’s journey towards net zero” said John Meagher, Commercial Director of AquaGen365. “As an island nation with reservoirs the length and breadth of the country, floating solar has huge potential. The UK already has several floating solar arrays and the Solar Roadmap will act as a catalyst for rolling out floating solar at scale”.
Floating solar presents a unique opportunity to generate clean energy while preserving land – a big advantage in densely populated areas. As well as delivering renewable energy, floating solar helps to reduce evaporation and conserve water. This presents huge opportunities for reservoirs, quarries, ports and harbours in the UK and across the globe.
The roadmap symbolises a bold step forward on the path to meeting the government’s solar energy targets. By backing technologies like floating solar, and working to remove deployment barriers, the government is laying the foundation for a cleaner, more resilient energy future – one that AquaGen365 is proud to be a part of.
AquaGen365, the joint venture between Nova Innovation and RSK, is uniquely positioned to scale floating solar deployment by leveraging Nova’s expertise and technology solutions in freshwater and marine environments with RSK’s consultancy, engineering and contracting experience.