Huge potential for floating solar

Global demand for electricity will double by 2050. At the same time, we need to reduce the share of fossil fuels, and to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, 70 per cent of this demand must be met by wind or solar power, according to classification society DNV GL.

‘Today, solar energy meets only a few per cent of this demand. There is enormous potential here, and I am determined that Norway should capture a share of this growth,’ says Inger Strand.

She is a business developer at the Norwegian Solar Energy Cluster, an organisation that promotes the solar energy industry in Norway and internationally.

Floating solar is a relatively new technology and a niche within solar power, but what exactly is it?

'You have probably seen solar panels on rooftops. Floating solar simply consists of panels assembled and placed on so-called ‘floats’ on the water,' Strand explains.

Solar power is considered an energy source of the future because it is clean and virtually inexhaustible, but solar farms require large areas of land. This makes it difficult to build them close to cities, where space is most limited. The solution could be to generate solar power on water.

'Floating solar is an environmentally friendly way to give more people access to electricity. It also preserves large areas of land that can instead be used for purposes such as growing food,' says Strand.

‘It makes sense to make use of the ocean surface,’ she says. Half of the world’s population lives near the coast, and three-quarters of the world’s major cities are located by the sea. This can shorten the distance between production and consumption. In the long term, it could be a more affordable solution than buying expensive land.
The floating solar market is growing, and Strand says that Norwegian companies are seeing strong demand for their technology, both in Norway and internationally.

'The challenge with floating solar is that it is on the water – with all that entails in terms of waves, salt water and harsh weather conditions. And that is precisely what makes floating solar a promising niche for Norway,' says Strand.

'If there is one thing Norwegians know how to do, it is to handle harsh natural conditions and harness energy,' she points out.

– Norwegian industry partners can draw on the expertise and technology they have developed in the oil, offshore, aquaculture and power sectors.

– We have, among others, Equinor, which produces natural gas, and Statkraft, Europe’s largest supplier of renewable energy. These synergies are what set us apart globally, she says.

In Norway, the electricity generated by floating solar installations can power nearby neighbourhoods, electric ferries or commercial buildings, or be supplied directly to an energy company for resale.

Norwegian power companies that build dams for hydropower plants around the world can also add floating solar power. One advantage is that the electricity transmission infrastructure is already in place. Ocean Sun is one of the Norwegian companies investing in floating solar power. It has developed an entirely new technology inspired by the aquaculture industry and will now supply floating solar power to Statkraft's dam facility in Albania.

The market for floating solar is primarily international.

'The greatest potential lies outside Norway. Asia in particular is a large market, where several floating solar farms have already been built,' says Strand.

Norway is a small country. This makes collaboration across the industry particularly important, Strand believes. It is also the main idea behind the Norwegian Solar Energy Cluster.

'We need to promote ourselves collectively on the international stage so that we can capture a larger share of the global market,' she concludes.