Floating solar | Floating solar power push
UK is urged to embrace floating solar technology, claiming it could double national solar capacity, protect farmland, and boost energy, water, and food security – while new international studies highlight both the promise and the challenges of scaling this game-changing renewable solution
Above: Aerial view of large-scale floating photovoltaic system installed on a reservoir
A UK POLITICIAN HAS been vocalising his support for the development of floating solar power, saying it offers a game changing solution to the UK’s energy dilemma.
Lincoln Jopp, Conservative MP for Spelthorne
Below: Floating solar farm on fresh water installed on plastic pontoons
in Surrey, England, claims that putting solar panels on just 15% of the UK’s reservoirs would double the country’s solar energy production and avoid, what he calls, “the visual vandalism” of putting panels across the countryside. Jopp is a keen advocate for FPV, especially as his constituency is home to four raised reservoirs that contain half of London’s drinking water. “Unlike traditional land-based solar farms, which consume valuable agricultural land, floating solar installations sit atop reservoirs, spaces that are already in use and largely invisible to the public,” he says. “Spelthorne is uniquely positioned with four prime reservoirs, offering the perfect opportunity to harness solar power without harming biodiversity or disrupting water sports. It also improves water quality and reduces water loss from evaporation by 70%. It’s a win- win for our environment and our community.” Jopp also gives the example of FPV technology
sited on the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir near Walton- on-Thames which, when built in 2016, was the largest floating farm in Europe and generated 6.3MW of power for Thames Water. If water companies “were smart”, he claims, they could lease the surface area of their reservoirs and “make a few bob”. Jopp says he was disappointed by the Labour
36 | October 2025 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
government’s recent solar roadmap which only made a passing one-page reference to FPV. He urges them to invest in this forward-thinking solution which could generate 16GW of power, generating 80,000 jobs in the construction phase and 8000 more in operation and maintenance – when using just 15% of the UK’s existing manmade water bodies. Jopp says floating solar is good for food, energy, and water security, and with the right support, the UK can lead the way in cutting-edge renewable energy. In response, the government has said although keen to encourage growth of this technology, more needs to be done to make it cost-effective.
Under review Due to its superior flexibility and affordability, solar
power is predicted to be the most popular energy source in the future, according to new research published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy reviews. And whilst the energy output of a PV system is proportional to its surface coverage area, finding available space for future deployment ‘points the finger’ towards water bodies. This is why an interdisciplinary literature review of floating solar plants has been undertaken by researchers from the UK, Australia, and Germany. In their study, Wei et al say that the extrapolation of solar power plants from land-based to water-based requires interdisciplinary expertise from a variety of specialist fields such as energy, hydrodynamics, structures, environmental, and electrical engineering.
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