The case for taking solar offshore
Can floating solar achieve price parity with onshore installations? Will evolving technology support sea-based arrays as a solution for desert nations? And what needs to be done to accelerate global adoption?
In this episode of Future Energy Insights, we'll take a deep dive into the potential of floating photovoltaics (FPVs) as a sustainable alternative to land-based arrays, and what it means for the MENA region.
Growing land scarcity and the rising cost of ground-mounted solar projects are driving demand in global markets from Asia-Pacific to the US. Recently released research from Wood Mackenzie posits an optimistic outlook for the sector with global FPV fleet capacity expected to top the 6W threshold in the next eight years through to 2031.
With potential to free up vital agricultural land in countries where food security is critical; help enable island nations to meet their net-zero pledges; and produce more energy than terrestrial arrays due to the panel-cooling benefit of water, the case for taking solar offshore is gaining momentum.
Moderator Jeffrey Beyer, Founder and Managing Director of Zest Associates, is joined by Alice Cowman, Chief Executive Officer at Enerwhere, the world’s first distributed solar utility company; Karel de Winter, Founder and Commercial Director of Hy-Energie and co-founder of the Middle East Solar Industry Association; and Antonio Jimenez, Managing Director and VP for Middle East & Africa at Trina Solar.
Future Energy Insights is a new podcast from the World Future Energy Summit that seeks to address the biggest challenges shaping the future of energy today, both in the Middle East and around the world. Find us on social media at @WFES