Among the solar industry’s efforts to optimize utilization of land and find and boost alternatives to traditional ground-mounted applications, an interesting option is increasingly emerging – Floating Photovoltaics (FPV), also called floating solar or floatovoltaics. Simply put, FPV is a configuration where solar systems float on water bodies. This brings several benefits compared to land-based solar parks – from conservation of land, protection of water quality, lower water evaporation, and the potential for higher system yields.
While there are already some FPV reports available, they are mostly about market potential or best practice recommendations. Our 1st Market Survey on FPV focuses on the commercial products on offer today. We have talked to FPV manufacturers around the world to provide product level details of the key system components, like floaters, and discuss other important aspects of a floating solar system. This TaiyangNews survey lists 13 products with technical specs from 9 suppliers, including the market leaders in this segment.
After an introduction (1) and an overview chapter on FPV systems (2), we provide a market update and look into the technology’s market potential (3). Background on FPV technology developments and challenges is provided in Chapter (4). This is followed by detailed descriptions of the products listed in this survey (5). After the conclusions (6), the survey ends with a table listing the spec sheets of the 13 products (7).
