Netherlands Builds First Floating Solar Farm

The Netherlands plans to build a pilot solar power plant at sea, 15 kilometers off the coast, which is expected to start commercial operations within three years, media reported.

The project comes at a critical time for the Netherlands, which is struggling to limit the use of fossil fuels and meet greenhouse gas emission targets after years of insufficient investment in renewable energy sources.

Following the pilot next year, a consortium consisting of energy companies, scientists, and researchers plans for 2,500 square meters of floating solar panels to start operating in 2021, said Allard van Hoeken, founder of Oceana and Energy, who designed the project.

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The pilot project, for which 1.2 million euros is allocated from the state budget, will operate on 30 square meters of panels starting this summer. It will test the equipment, weather conditions, environmental impact, and energy production. Utrecht University will investigate energy production in the prototype, located about 15 kilometers off the coast near The Hague.

“To eliminate the problem of land scarcity, there are several other benefits to building at sea, similar to those in wind energy,” said solar energy expert Wilfried van Sark from Utrecht University, who is involved in the project.

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“There is more sun at sea and an additional benefit from the cooling system of the panels, which increases production by up to 15 percent,” he said.

If successful, there is plenty of room for expanding the solar farm, unlike the overcrowded Dutch mainland where there is public resistance to wind farms.

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Van Hoeken said he expects that this marine solar energy will ultimately be cheaper than offshore wind energy and land-based energy sources, mainly due to lower construction costs at sea.