Broad NWA consortium to investigate nature-positive potential of floating solar panels
NWO has awarded over 2.8 million euros to a broad consortium of public and private partners to investigate the use of floating solar panels throught the NWA programme Responsible Upscaling of ‘Floating Solar’. The consortium aims to establish the technological, ecological and social conditions under which floating solar energy has a sustainable future for people and nature in different landscapes.
Solar energy is essential for the energy transition: without it the Netherlands will not be able to achieve its ambitions under the Paris Climate Agreement. Solar systems are being implemented at an increasingly large scale to meet demands for sustainable energy, including on inland waters. Deployment of solar panels on water offers a possible solution to scarce space on land and competition with agriculture or housing. "Floating photovoltaic systems are gaining significant traction due to their potential for outperforming land-based PV systems in similar environments," says Sara Mirbagheri Golroodbari, Assistant Professor of Integration of Photovoltaic Solar Energy. "However, it is essential to thoroughly investigate their environmental and social impacts”.
“Be it on roofs, land, or water, finding locations for solar PV is no longer a techno-economical problem,” explains Wilfried van Sark, Professor of Photovoltaics Integration. “Maxing out energy performance should go hand-in-hand with social- and nature-inclusivity”.
Research across domains
The consortium SPARKLES (SPARKing a nature-positive future of floating solar for humans and nature across LandscapES) unites scientists and stakeholders to develop floating solar panels that have positive outcomes for both humans and nature. Insights from energy science, ecology and public administration will help remove obstacles that currently still stand in the way of responsible scaling-up of floating solar panels. By putting nature front and center the project looks for integrative solutions that solve multiple problems in the living environment, rather than creating trade-offs between humans and nature. For example, water quality improvement is essential for meeting the Water Framework Directive targets in 2027. “If floating solar can help improve the ecological quality of water bodies, this would be a win-win situation," says Merel Soons, Professor of Land Use and Biodiversity.
“The great challenge is to find the conditions for changing NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) situations into a PIMBY (Please in my Backyard),” explains governance expert Dr. Carel Dieperink. “It is not only necessary to gain insight into potential ecological and technological benefits of floating PV, but also societal processes necessary to enable these transitions”.
"In addition, it is important that biodiversity considerations are mainstreamed in floating solar design and planning processes, to avoid trade-offs and missed opportunities,” says Hens Runhaar, Associate Professor of the Governance of Nature and Biodiversity. This requires breaking through silos in the energy, spatial planning, environmental and nature conservation policy domains and associated educational programmes.
The Netherlands Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) and Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) were the initiators of the call. The team from Utrecht University’s Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development includes Dr. Sara Golroodbari, Dr. Carel Dieperink, Prof. Hens Runhaar, Prof. Wilfried van Sark, and Prof. Merel Soons.
About the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA)
This call falls under the scope of the Netherlands National Research Agenda (NWA) in the Netherlands. NWO implements the NWA on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). The aim of the NWA is to use knowledge to make a positive, structural contribution to tomorrow's society, by building bridges today and working together to achieve scientific breakthroughs and societal impact. This is achieved, among other things, through thematic programming in cooperation with governments. The aim of the NWA thematic programmes is to find answers to current social questions. All research is interdisciplinary and involves the entire breadth of the knowledge chain as well as relevant social partners.