Largest floating solar power system in Europe going up in London

CleanTechnica

What will be the biggest floating solar photovoltaic (PV) array in Europe once completed — a 6.3 megawatt (MW) array on the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir in London — is now under construction.

The developer — Lightsource Renewable Energy — has revealed that the project will be composed of 23,000 solar PV panels and will generate enough electricity to provide for the need of around 1800 local households once finished.

Ennoviga Solar is handling the construction of the project — which is expected to make use of 61,000 floats and 177 anchors. Construction is occurring to the west of the city, near Walton-on-Thames.

“Over the last 5 years we have successfully completed ground and roof installations of all shapes and sizes, but this project has some obvious differences and has presented our team with a set of fresh challenges to overcome,” stated Lightsource CEO Nick Boyle.

The Thames water’s energy manager, Angus Berry, commented as well: “Becoming a more sustainable business is integral to our long-term strategy, and this innovative new project brings us one step closer to achieving our goal — this is the right thing for our customers, the right thing for our stakeholders, and most importantly, the right thing for the environment.”

“This is our largest project outside of Japan and the first one with European bank financing, proving that our technology is not only suitable for water utilities, but has also been recognized as bankable in Europe as well as Asia,” stated Ciel et Terre international business development director Eva Pauly.

Source: CleanTechnica. Reproduced with permission.