UK’s first floating solar energy system is activated

Development on a new solar power system has been completed in the UK

Development of a floating solar energy system has been completed in the United Kingdom. The system is located near a farm in Berkshire and some $300,000 has been invested in its development. The system floats atop a reservoir and boasts of a maximum energy capacity of 200 kilowatts. This is the first floating solar array to be activated in the United Kingdom and the system has already received some strong praise from renewable energy advocates and others.

Energy system makes use of technology developed by Ciel et Terre

The floating solar array is located at Sheeplands Farm, a soft fruit farm near Wargrave. The system is owned by Mark Bennett, and the array itself has been developed by Ciel et Terre, a French technology development firm. After the system provides a return on its initial investment, the electrical power generated by the floating array will be “essentially free” for the duration of the system’s life. Development of the solar energy system was supported by subsidies provided by the UK government.

World’s largest floating solar power system is currently under development in Japan

The technology used to build the floating solar array in the United Kingdom is also being used in Japan, but on a much larger scale. Kyocera, a leading solar energy company, is currently building the world’s largest floating solar power system in Japan trhough a partnership with Century Tokyo and Ciel et Terre. The project will make use of more than 11,000 photovoltaic modules and produce as much as 2.9 megawatts of electrical power.

Solar energy may become the world’s primary power source by 2050, according to International Energy Agency report

Solar energy has become a very popular form of clean power in the United Kingdom and much of the rest of the world. In the coming years, this form of energy may prove to be the most popular of its kind globally. A recent report from the International Energy Agency suggests that solar power could become the world’s primary energy source by 2050.