Flanders Invests In Floating PV

• Flanders government has invested €2 million ($2.29 million) to support floating PV projects of the company Floating PV NV
• The company Floating PV NV is working on a project using five hectares of space atop a lake created by sand extraction in Dessel
• Flemish government's support will cover 25% of project cost and is first such project for the region
• It will use bifacial modules, a solar tracker system and also an active cooling mechanism

Belgium's Flanders region has made its first move into floating solar power with an investment of €2 million ($2.29 million) in a company called Floating PV NV, which will develop floating solar power projects, starting with a five hectare project on a lake owned by Sibelco in Dessel.

The lake was created due to sand extraction. Floating PV NV plans to use bifacial solar panels, a solar tracker system and an active cooling mechanism. Deputy Prime Minister in Flanders and also Minister for Budget, Finance and Energy, Bart Tommelein says the government's investment support will cover 25% of the project cost.

"As a Flemish government we like to support new technologies until they are ready for the market. This project with floating solar panels combines a number of innovations that we would like to see tested," said Tommelein. "We expect higher efficiency because the panels can rotate with the sun and because they have solar cells on both sides."

The €2 million ($2.29 million) support comes from €6 million ($6.88 million) pledged by the government in April 2018 for floating PV projects, itself a part of its €100 million ($114.69 million) investment fund.

In 2017, Flanders led the country regarding solar growth. It registered 50% annual growth with 264 MW of PV installations (see Belgium Installed 264 MW Of PV In 2017).