Rotating floating solar park for water utility Evides
On 10 July, Dutch water supply company Evides officially opened its 1.62 MW floating solar park on a water reservoir in the heart of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Winches align the 4,787 PV modules with the sun.
The installation has been developed by Floating Solar.
Special features
Director Annette Ottolini of Evides Water Company and director Kees-Jan van der Geer of Floating Solar commissioned the installation that covers 30 percent of the water reservoir.
According to Kees-Jan van der Geer of Floating Solar the size of the floating solar park is unique in Europe. During the opening event he also mentioned other special features his company has included.
‘The installation can follow the sun with special sensors, to produce more electricity. These sensors measure the strength of the sun, the wind force and other parameters and ensure an optimal result. The moving of the panels is done with winches’, explained Van der Geer.
Effects on reservoir
The floating solar park is Evides’ next step to become more sustainable and lower its CO2-footprint.
Annette Ottolini of Evides: ‘The park is highly visible and will contribute to our energy transition. It is our aim to organize the drinking water supply in such a way that the energy balance will be neutral.‘
Evides will monitor the impact of the solar installation on the water reservoir. The monitoring will focus on algae growth, on contamination from bird droppings, reduced UV radiation on the water, and the impact of the wind.
Depending on the outcome, Evides considers to build similar solar parks on three other reservoirs.
