Floating solar PV: science fiction or innovation?

Let’s take solar PV one step further. This is what Philippe De Backer, Belgian’s State Secretary of the North Sea, stated in his press release after his meeting with well-known companies in Belgium, among them Tractebel.  

Installing floating solar PV panels is no longer science fiction. And a feasibility study we are carrying out will help make an innovative energy park on the North Sea a reality: first through research and then, hopefully, through a pilot project in a protected sea area.

Hein Dirix, Tractebel’s Chief Officer Infrastructure & Environment, explained to Belgium’s economic newspaper L’Echo: “It’s a complex question, because of the sea salt, the climate and the waves. But we are very keen on finding the answer. In the framework of the energy transition, we are constantly looking for innovative solutions. We all know that the offshore square metres for installing PV panels in our little country are limited…” Read the full article here in L’Echo.