Floating solar farms, also known as "floatovoltaics," are an efficient way to collect solar energy. They have a number of advantages over land-based systems:
- They don't occupy land that could be used for other things, like crop farming.
- They're up to 16% more efficient because the water keeps them cool.
- They reduce evaporation on hydroelectric dams, saving more water for hydropower.
But they also come with an environmental cost: the panels sit on plastic floats. So far, floatovoltaic developers have relied on virgin (new) plastic to keep the panels afloat. As we know, plastic is one of the biggest contributors to pollution, uses fossil fuels to manufacture, and is deadly for sea creatures. But a new floatovoltaic farm in Alqueva, Portugal, is under development by the EDP corporation, an energy company committed to sustainability.
The EDP farm uses floats made of recycled plastic and cork. This material has reduced the carbon footprint by 30%. The solar farm will produce enough electricity to support about 1,500 households in the region. Made up of 12,000 solar panels (the size of 4 soccer fields), it will be the largest floatovoltaic farm in the world so far.
In 2021, the floatovoltaic industry was valued at $2.5 billion; by 2030, it's projected to be worth over $10 billion. So an environmentally friendly design is imperative as the industry expands.
