Research into the environmental impact of floating solar panels at sea

In addition to wind energy, the production of solar energy at sea is also increasingly being considered. However, both the technology and knowledge about the environmental effects of floating solar energy are still in their infancy. In recent weeks, scientists from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences have therefore installed three experimental modules at sea at the Mermaid offshore wind farm. These modules are equipped with location plates in different materials. For example, it can be investigated which material is suitable for the marine fauna to colonize.

Correctly estimate environmental impact

The modules were designed and developed by Jan De Nul Group in collaboration with RBINS, and with support from EMBRC Belgium (European Marine Biological Resource Centre). The modules will remain in the water for about a year and a half. They will be checked regularly to monitor the colonization process.

“With EcoMPV, important steps are being taken to also be able to correctly estimate the environmental impact of floating solar panels,” responds Minister of the North Sea Vincent Van Quickenborne. “The potential of floating solar panels is estimated to be high. If we want to use them on a commercial scale later on, it is also necessary to take into account their effects on the marine environment in order to avoid or mitigate them as much as possible. Belgium shows once again that economy and ecology go hand in hand.”

Three years

EcoMPV is financed by the Energy Transition Fund of the FPS Economy, AD Energie. The project started in November 2022 and will run for three years. It is coordinated by the research team ‘Marine Ecology and Management’ of the RBINS, with Ghent University as scientific partner and Tractebel, Jan De Nul Group and DEME Group as industrial partners.