Trend Floating solar panels on reservoirs that also curb evaporation

Summary

The report states that high temperatures and solar radiation evaporate millions of litres of water from Spanish reservoirs every year. Floating solar panels are presented as a way to curb this by shading the water surface, reducing sun exposure and helping conserve the resource. Installed on water, the panels also operate at steadier temperatures and gather less dust, outperforming conventional panels on land. France, Portugal and the Netherlands are already investing in the technology, and Spain launched a grid-connected pilot at the Sierra Brava reservoir in Extremadura in 2020 and adopted a regulatory framework for deployment in 2024. The report also describes using floating solar for aquaculture, as China does, and raises the possibility of combining it with mussel and oyster farming in Spain. Its vision is to bring water savings, clean energy and sustainable aquaculture together in a single space.