Floating solar has emerged as a promising clean energy solution globally, driven by primarily land acquisition-related issues and the limited availability of suitable land for traditional clean energy projects. Increasing cost-competitiveness, maturing technology and shorter gestation timelines, continue to drive the adoption of floating solar systems across the world. Europe has emerged as a key market in this space for both onshore and offshore floating solar deployments.
Recognising the immense potential of floating solar, REGlobal is organising a conference on Floating Solar in Europe on February 13-14, 2025 at Novotel Amsterdam City, Netherlands. To better understand the sector’s dynamics, we reached out to key industry experts to know their perspectives on the benefits, challenges, and future prospects of floating solar projects.
What in your opinion are the key benefits of floating solar projects?
Etienne Abadie, Technical Director, ECOCEAN
Floating solar projects are a way to use former artificial gravel or sand extraction pits to produce local and renewable energy. With an adapted percentage of coverage and accurate impact studies, these projects could even go along with the evolution process of the artificial waterbody towards a more natural state, where ecological functions develop, and species complete their lifecycles.
Lars Brandt, CEO, Seaflex
Availability of sites and not occupying land areas. Less background heat radiation so that panels are kept cooler compared to land based setting, ie less loss of efficiency. Great in combination with hydroelectric plants in a hybridization setup, especially with pump plants where energy can be stored by pumping water during periods of less electricity needs. Then the water is release through the generators when demands are getting higher. These sites also has a close distance to grid attachment and such infrastructure. Other types of dams are irrigation and drinking water reservoirs that are closed off to traditional water activities such as swimming, fishing etc. These dams are also perfect to put floating solar on.
Mark Helfrich, Project Manager, Rijksvastgoedbedrijf
The energy transition needs huge areas of land to keep fulfilling our energy needs. This is a new reality, and especially difficult in a densely populated country like the Netherlands. That land can also be used for housing, agriculture and nature. This means we have to be smart about how we use the available area. Using floating solar can lessen the claim that is being put on the land and therefor contribute to all those priorities.
Simon Johannes Stark, CTO – Dutch Marine Energy Centre
Especially in the densely populated regions of Europe building more solar PV projects on land is becoming more and more challenging. At the same time the European energy transition is leading to a massive increase in offshore infrastructure development. This development of previously remote areas provides opportunities to use these areas for solar. With a production profile that is often complementary to offshore wind, solar can therefore increase the usage of CAPEX intensive infrastructures if co-located. On top of this the offshore space can enable a vastly different scale of solar projects, compared to both PV projects on land or on lakes. Projects in the GW scale can increase cost reduction for farm designs and make solar PV an even stronger contributor to the energy transition.
Nicolai Andersen, Vice-President, Commercial, Fred. Olsen 1848
Floating solar offers several unique advantages that make it an attractive renewable energy solution. One of its key benefits is its ability to address land scarcity. In regions where land availability is limited or where land has a high economic value, floating solar systems can efficiently utilize inland waterbodies. Large lakes and coastal ocean areas to generate clean energy without competing for valuable land resources.
Another advantage lies in scalability. Unlike some renewable energy sources, such as offshore wind, floating solar projects can remain financially viable even at smaller scales. This flexibility allows for tailored solutions that suit the specific needs of different regions or communities.
The floating solar industry also benefits from an established supply chain and simpler logistics requirements although the volume associated with a floating solar project apply complexity to the planning and management of same. With shorter lead times and no need for extensive port infrastructure or specialized vessels, the deployment of floating solar systems is faster and less resource-intensive compared to other renewable energy sources.
Finally, floating solar offers excellent opportunities for co-location with other renewable energy sources. It can be seamlessly integrated with hydroelectric dams or offshore wind farms, maximizing the use of existing infrastructure and optimizing energy production.
Charles Smadja, Joint Managing Partner, Arema Energies: In our view, floating solar projects present significant benefits. Firstly, they enable the development of large-scale solar installations without requiring extensive land use, particularly in areas with limited available land or high agricultural value. Secondly, these projects can offer competitive costs in terms of capital expenditure (Capex) and operational expenditure (Opex), even in challenging environments such as those with high temperatures or strong winds.
Aurélien CROQ, CEO, SolarinBlue: Floating solar projects enable projects with no land use competition and where land is crowded, so as close as possible to high density zones.
Bastiaan Haakman, Senior Director, ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
Space Efficiency: By utilising water surfaces, floating solar projects free up valuable land that can be used for agriculture, housing, or conservation. This is particularly beneficial in densely populated areas like the Netherlands. In addition, compared to land-based solar farms, floating solar arrays typically have a reduced impact on the landscape and do not require significant alterations to the existing environment.
Increased Energy Production: Water bodies can help cool the solar panels, improving their efficiency and boosting electricity generation compared to land-based panels.
Reduced Water Evaporation: Covering parts of reservoirs or lakes with solar panels can reduce water evaporation, which is beneficial for water conservation, especially during hot and dry periods which we see increasing in the last years.
Environmental Benefits: Floating solar panels can have a dual purpose by providing shade to the water, potentially reducing algae growth and improving water quality.
Scalability and Flexibility: These projects can be scaled up or down relatively easily and can be deployed on various types of water bodies, including sand pits, lakes, and even coastal areas.
What are the key issues in this segment? How should we address these challenges?
Etienne Abadie
In my opinion, besides the technological aspects, the key stakes are about integration of floating PV projects in the environment and the management of potential impacts on ecosystems. By knowing the impacts of projects and implementing the corrective or compensative measures, it would be possible to make most projects compatible with the natural mechanisms of aquatic ecosystems.
Lars Brandt
Designing projects in an optimal way without tampering with safety and security. Early adoptions of FPV has been effected by disasters due to faulty design and installation. A standardization is important on its way through DNV. The market as a whole also needs to understand that designs that neglect the needs to quality and safety are NOT good economy. Long life with least possible Opex is the key to lowest possible cost of energy production. The FPV market has unfortunately some sort of shortcut that CAPEX needs to be least possible. That is NOT the same as the cost. Too low CAPEX will jeopardize projects as it has been happening in the past. The market needs to understand that the cost is the most important factor, that it has to be as low as possible. But “only” using the CAPEX as a variable is NOT the safe solution.
Mark Helfrich
Floating solar is still relatively new so the concrete effects on its surrounding aren’t fully understood yet. Wherever the needed water also has a different purpose or use, people are still tentative about adding floating solar. Research, time and experience will change this over time.
Simon Johannes Stark
As for any innovative energy technologies, the key challenge for offshore solar lies in cost reduction. Europe has a world wide leading landscape of offshore solar technology developers and also one of the longest standing offshore sectors for isntallation, operations, mooring and anchoring as well as offshore cables. It will be up to all of those supply partners to join forces to develop solutions which are tailored for the requirements of offshore solar and to enable cost reductions across the entire value chain.
Nicolai Andersen
At Fred. Olsen 1848, we are focused on unlocking opportunities in areas exposed to wind and waves, conditions that exceed the typical 1-meter wave height limit of most existing floating solar technologies. Successfully addressing this challenge would significantly expand the global technical potential for floating solar, enabling the development of sizeable standalone floating solar farms capable of deploying hundreds of megawatts in one location. Additionally, it could facilitate the electrification of industrial facilities located along coastal areas or island communities.
To realize this potential, floating solar technologies must strike a delicate balance: maintaining operational capability in dynamic environments while ensuring resilience and affordability during construction and throughout the operational and maintenance (O&M) lifecycle. Achieving this requires dedicated support for technology development, yet funding remains a critical bottleneck.
Technology providers often shoulder the majority of financial responsibility, with limited access to external funding. While EU grants are available, their resource-intensive application processes can divert attention from the primary goal of designing robust solutions. Meanwhile, developers frequently lack the resources to fund pilot projects or insist on fully qualified systems before committing, creating a challenging “chicken-and-egg” dynamic.
O&M efficiency presents additional hurdles, particularly in offshore and nearshore environments where access and environmental conditions complicate routine activities. Developing streamlined, cost-effective O&M solutions is essential for ensuring the long-term viability of floating solar systems.
Finally, insurability and bankability remain major challenges. Financial institutions and insurance providers often require extensive operational track records or advanced technology qualification before offering their support. Building trust in the technology is therefore a key step toward securing the broader financial and institutional backing needed to scale the industry.
Charles Smadja
The floating solar segment faces critical challenges, including potential environmental and ecological impacts on aquatic ecosystems, the need for robust mooring and anchoring systems to withstand extreme weather, and the challenge of integrating fluctuating power output into the grid. Addressing these challenges requires rigorous environmental impact assessments, careful site selection (including offshore sites), and ongoing monitoring programs to minimize environmental impacts. Robust and reliable mooring and anchoring systems can be achieved through innovative solutions. Integrating fluctuating power output can be facilitated by careful grid planning and infrastructure upgrades, as well as exploring hybrid solutions such as combining floating solar with offshore wind power.
Aurélien CROQ
Floating solar PV needs to overcome its news frontier: offshore, to enable continuous growth
Bastiaan Haakman
Net congestion: as a result of an increasing number of areas with fierce net congestion issues, adding floating solar projects to the grid is the main challenge these days.
Technical Challenges and costs: Designing and constructing floating solar systems can be technically complex. The structures must withstand water movement, varying water levels, and potentially harsh weather conditions such as strong winds and storms, and at coastal areas the salty air causes additional challenges. For that reason, floating solar is more expensive than ground-mounted projects.
Environmental Impact: Although floating solar can reduce water evaporation and algae growth, there are concerns about potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems, including changes in water temperature, light penetration, and habitat disruption for aquatic life. For that reason, we stimulate floating solar projects at sand pits.
Regulatory and Permitting Issues: Navigating the regulatory landscape can be complex. Projects need to comply with environmental regulations, water management policies, and zoning laws, which can vary significantly depending on the location and type of water body.
Maintenance and Durability: Regular maintenance is necessary to ensure the longevity and efficiency of floating solar systems. The aquatic environment can pose unique challenges, such as biofouling, corrosion and the effect of salty air, which require specialised maintenance strategies.
What role could policy and regulation play in accelerating floating solar development in your region?
Etienne Abadie
Policy and regulation, for the environmental aspects, need to clearly frame and evaluate the impact of project, allowing thus the developers to scale better and faster the projects, and to anticipate the environmental measures. This would also allow developers saving time and money for permits on waterbodies where the authorities would not allow floating PV.
Lars Brandt
A lot, we need to get the EU commission to officially and clearly let the market know that FPV is going to be a long term focus. Now it seem that “offhshore FPV” is the main focus, this part of the FPV is still under heavy development and far from commercialized, this is now effecting the expansion of the “inshore” FPV which is technically fully commercially available. It is vital that these two different types of floating solar application is kept apart in order for the offshore to continue develop but in the short term make sure that inshore development is not “halted” or “hesitated” since sometimes FPV is unfortunately “generalized” but putting the two together.
Mark Helfrich
There are still financial challenges in realizing renewable energy. With a fair subsidy system we can make sure renewable energy becomes more competitive than its predecessor. This will help the demand side of renewable energy and thus the supply side.
Simon Johannes Stark
New technologies, especially in the energy sector, need to be assessed not only for their immediate competitiveness but also for their strategic value. Offshore solar energy enables a much more efficient us of the offshore space while also being a key contributor to renewable energy targets. In the process of developing these innovative systems it is important to not hamper demonstrations through excessive permitting processes. Instead a continues knowledge development process should lead to a structure of lean and targeted requirements and regulations as experience and knowledge increases. For large scale projects a key driver for offshore solar will be revenue support schemes which make business cases feasible and enable learnings and cost reduction.
Nicolai Andersen
Funding Schemes: There is a need to establish more funding opportunities specifically targeted at technology development, as many existing schemes are primarily directed toward developers. Alternatively, offering attractive Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for pilot projects could provide a strong incentive to accelerate innovation and testing.
Regulated Testing Areas: Facilitating access to designated testing areas (allowing to test at a certain scale +1MW) and streamlining permitting processes is essential. These are core competencies of technology developers and should be supported to enable efficient prototyping and validation of new solutions.
Charles Smadja
Policy and regulation can significantly accelerate floating solar development in Europe by clear and streamlined permitting processes, combined with targeted financial incentives such as feed-in tariffs, tax breaks, and subsidies. Furthermore, establishing clear grid connection standards and prioritizing the integration of floating solar into existing grid infrastructure will facilitate the smooth and efficient operation of these projects.
Aurélien CROQ
Adding systematically offshore solar to offshore wind in new offshore projects
Bastiaan Haakman
Policy and regulation can play a crucial role by providing incentives such as tax breaks or subsidies and streamlining permitting processes.
How has working on floating solar projects impacted your perspective on sustainability?
Etienne Abadie
Working on floating solar projects showed me that project that have been well aimed and scaled can have a very good environmental integration and thus can totally go in the direction of sustainable renewable energy.
Lars Brandt
Its our basic focus on sustainability and environment that initially led us towards floating solar, a step we took in 2010.
Mark Helfrich
Floating solar shows the vast chances that are still out there for renewable energy. There is a lot of water surface in the Netherlands and the addition of floating solar could kickstart an entirely new development of the area.
Simon Johannes Stark
Thinking about the benefits of sharing space and infrastructure has lead me to look very differently of all the surrounding elements of offshore renewable projects. We are at the point where the roll out of renewables is increasing steadily. Further improvements in the sustainability especially of the power sector can be achieved by increasing our efficiency in using infrastructure as well as minimising the impact on the environment. Minimising the offshore areas used for energy production by increasing the density of renewable energy produced per km2 can help to maximise areas reserved for nature restoration and recovery.
Nicolai Andersen
Sustainability is very important when establishing floating solar as a utility-scale renewable energy source. As part of our design philosophy, we have ensured that all components of our floating solar system, Brizo can be recycled after decommissioning. While questions remain about the market’s willingness to pay for recycled materials, providing this option is essential for fostering a circular economy.
Nature-Positive Impact: Over the years of developing and piloting our floating solar system, Brizo, we have observed its potential to create a positive impact on the surrounding ecological environment. Our system can contribute to biodiversity by fostering new habitats and supporting the growth of local ecosystems, demonstrating that floating solar can be both an energy solution and a catalyst for ecological enrichment.
Charles Smadja
Working on floating solar projects has highlighted the crucial need for innovative approaches to address our energy needs. This experience has solidified my belief that true sustainability lies in finding harmonious solutions that balance massive energy production, combination of several renewable energy sources, and environmental protection and social equity.
Aurélien CROQ
Increasing the awareness on marine ecosystems protection.
Bastiaan Haakman
Working on floating solar projects especially in combination with BESS solutions has reinforced our belief in the potential of innovative technologies to drive sustainable development. It has highlighted the importance of integrating renewable energy solutions to create a balanced and sustainable energy future.
Could you give us a sneak peek into the topics you’ll cover at the Floating Solar Europe Conference?
Etienne Abadie
As you might have guessed, I work in the field of environmental integration of floating solar, developing solution to reduce or mitigate the impact of project on aquatic ecosystems. I will present some of the solutions and results we already have with our partners.
Lars Brandt
Pretty much the same as mentioned above, safety, economy, sustainability.
Mark Helfrich
We will discuss the methods that the Dutch government uses to try and make water surface available for the realization and development of floating solar. We’ll discuss the challenges of having to integrate floating solar with all the other uses of that same water, like an active depot, natura 2000 and sluices.
Simon Johannes Stark
Our research focuses on the impact that offshore solar as a contributor to renewable energy projects can have. The improved utilisation of export infrastructure as well as the benefits to the business case of these parks stand at the centre of our research and our presentation.
Nicolai Andersen
We will talk about the significant potential for floating solar to mature deployment in nearshore and dynamic environments with moderate wind and wave exposure and serves as an untapped opportunity for the industry to scale while balancing resilience and affordability. At the same time deployment in dynamic environments also serve as a steppingstone for the industry to take learnings and build know-how that is vital to realise the potential deployment of offshore solar in harsher conditions in the future.
Additionally, we will provide the latest updates on our floating solar technologies aimed for deployment in nearshore, large lake, and hydro dam environments
Charles Smadja
At the Floating Solar Europe Conference, we will delve into the innovative technology choices that underpin our floating solar solutions. Our focus will be on how these design enhancements enable the seamless transition of our technology from inland waters to offshore deployments. We will also explore how our designs, specifically tailored to accommodate the largest available solar modules, coupled with several key design improvements, significantly impact critical design parameters. This allows us to confidently deploy floating solar projects in challenging environments. These recent advancements and innovations ultimately translate into more competitive and viable solutions for project developers.
Aurélien CROQ
Offshore solar in Europe and the world, freeing solar PV from land use competition
Bastiaan Haakman
At the Floating Solar Europe Conference, I plan to discuss what makes a floating solar project attractive for a bank to finance including financial models and sensitivity scenarios, how to come to an optimal balance between the project owners and a bank, and risk assessment strategies including relevant mitigation.
For registrations and other details regarding the upcoming conference, please visit the website here
