Floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) panels – sometimes called floatovoltaics – is a relatively new renewable energy option, but one with huge potential. According to the IEA, in 2023, solar PV alone accounted for three-quarters of renewable capacity additions worldwide. Yet most of the solar panels installed so far lie on land, which pose crucial issues for land use particularly in countries where land is at a premium. This includes island states, for instance, but also countries with high population density where land is a constraint.

It’s one of the reasons why the deployment of solar technologies which float on water are predicted to increase rapidly over the next few years. “With 70% of the world covered with water, research and development of FPV on ocean platforms opens a new era of solar energy with the advancement of robust floating structures,” an international research team states in a review of the field published in April.

The scientists conclude that FPV systems outperform land-based solar PV systems under similar conditions but warn that offshore weather and harsh ocean currents may pose serious challenges to FPV structures. “Therefore, research and development efforts addressing this issue are crucial,” they say.