What is floating solar?

With water covering 71% of the Earth’s surface, the potential for floating solar is immense

In the same way that solar panels are seen on buildings and farmer’s fields, they can be installed on water using floating structures. Bringing together sunlight, water and energy enables us to harness the sun’s vast energy while preserving valuable land space. Floating solar is a source of clean renewable energy that can be rolled out at scale to help combat climate change.

How does floating solar work?

Floating solar technology uses solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on mounted modular support structures and floats, which are then securely anchored or moored. The modular design of floating solar solutions means they can be efficiently deployed with minimal impact on the environment. To see our floating solar in action, watch the video below:

Floating solar offers a unique opportunity to generate low-cost, renewable energy across the world

Three areas of focus are starting to emerge:

  • Inland waters: the initial focus for floating solar PV has been on inland lakes, quarry pits, reservoirs and irrigation ponds.
    This is the most established market.
  • Nearshore: this encompasses the marine environment that is close to shore
    This includes ports, harbours, industrial operations and utilities operating in coastal locations.
  • Offshore: the potential for floating solar in our seas and oceans is huge
    The inclusion of floating solar in the first Dutch offshore wind licensing rounds is accelerating the development of the offshore floating solar industry. Wind and solar have complementary annual generation profiles, enabling offshore infrastructure and cables to be better utilised to lower costs and improve power stability.

 

AquaGen365 - The Port of Leith project - image 1

Floating solar benefits

  • Clean: natural resource helping to displace fossil fuels and achieve net zero
  • Reliable: established technology with no moving parts and high reliability
  • Low cost: secure on-site generation cheaper than grid and de-risked from price spikes
  • Preserves land: avoids using valuable land that could be used for other commercial purposes
  • Conserves water: reduces evaporation by up to 42%
AquaGen365 benefits - floating solar

AquaGen365 benefits

  • Flexible: can be deployed in freshwater and marine environments
  • Warrantied technology: world-leading engineering with high-quality original equipment manufacturer warrantied components
  • Modular scalable generation: scalable from 300 kW to large multi-MW systems
  • High-quality, robust product: a proven design with all components sourced from established suppliers
  • Short lead time, long lifetime: delivery within months, low maintenance and 25 years’ lifespan