Come July 2020 and the Netherlands will have a floating solar power plant coming online in the country with 1.628 MW capacity. Dutch water supplier Evides Waterbedrijf has announced grid connection for the company's first 'partly' floating solar park.
The Rotterdam located floating solar project has been set up partly on land and partly on a reservoir in Kralingen where Evides runs its operations. The facility is expected to generate around 1.7 million kWh of clean power annually.
With the 4,787 solar panels deployed on site at Rotterdam, by next year Evides will be able to conduct further research into the effects of floating solar panels on the reservoir's water quality and on the general ecology in and around the reservoir including algae growth, spread of bacteria from bird droppings, reduced UV radiation on the water and the influence of wind. Evides stressed, "It is essential that the water quality in the reservoir remains good."
This isn't the first brush with floating solar technology for the water supply company as it participated in the Zon op Water or Sun on Water national pilot project where 35 companies have formed a consortium to explore floating solar in the country.
Netherlands with its enormous water surfaces is a promising location for floating solar power technology. Germany's BayWa r.e. has alone completed 3 such projects in the country and is now building the 27.4 MW Bomhofsplas Floating Solar Farm near Zwolle (see BayWa Building 27.4 MW Floating Solar Plant In Netherlands).