New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
All afloat: benefits and challenges of floating solar systems
10/1/2024
8 min read
Feature
Floating solar energy is at an early stage of development compared to conventional solar farm installations worldwide, but the potential is vast. Although the technology is relatively well understood, there are still challenges to address. New Energy World Features Editor Brian Davis reports.
Deployment of land-based solar installations is well established. But work is underway on the development of floating solar farms where there are issues of land scarcity or high population density.
Floating photovoltaics (FPV) can be installed on a variety of water bodies, such as reservoirs, ponds, lakes and flooded quarries, or close to shore, to tackle the climate and energy crisis.
SolarPower Europe’s newly published (December 2023) Guidelines to FPV best practice suggests that FPV can not only improve land efficiency, but also provide water conservation benefits, reduce environmental impact and sometimes support thriving wildlife.