Scottish tidal energy company Nova Innovation will install a floating solar project on an artificial lake at an industrial sand quarry in Cheshire.
The company will install a 400kW solar array with 450 solar panels at North Arclid Lake, at the Arclid Quarry site in Cheshire, operated by Bathgate Silica Sand. Nova won the contract through its AquaGen365 joint venture (JV) with engineering firm RSK.
The JV bills itself as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for floating solar projects, covering feasibility studies, design, consents, installation and operation. This deal saw AquaGen365 carry out investigations and obtain approval for the project from Cheshire East Council, after which Bathgate awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Nova.
Bathgate said the floating PV installation would help decarbonise its operations and reduce its energy bills.
“These floating solar panels are of great importance to our business,” says David Robinson, MD of Bathgate Silica Sand. “The beauty of it is that it allows us to generate sustainable energy on site, while retaining land for our daily quarry operations.”
Simon Forrest, CEO of Nova Innovation, said: “This comes at a time of growth in the floating solar market. Companies with access to bodies of water can use floating solar to realize their clean energy ambitions. This technology is highly scalable and offers real opportunities to deliver further projects – a factor that will have a significant impact on Britain’s success in reaching its 2035 target.”
The government’s Solar Roadmap program aims to reach 75 GW of solar PV capacity in Britain by 2035. Floating PV systems on lakes, reservoirs or quarries provide an effective option for small-scale deployment and can also provide benefits to water bodies, such as preventing evaporation and helping to control algae growth. Cool air from the water can also make PV modules more efficient.
The The floating solar sector in Britain is smallbut is gaining some traction. Nova Innvation deployed what it called Scotland first floating PV project in November 2023 at the Port of Leith. Last month, Britain’s largest floating PV project was approved; The 40MW facility at Barrow Port in Cumbria will be built by Associated British Ports (ABP), and will cover around a third of the dock’s surface with fixed-tilting solar panels.
There are also experiments to get floating PV off the ground (and on the water) at sea. Scottish maritime energy company Mocean Energy signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with floating PV developer SolarDuck to develop hybrid tidal and solar energy projects at sea.
