Concept

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Renewable energy is in the spotlight. In Malta—an island that enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine per year—solar power has become mainstream, enabling the country to reach its goal of using 10% renewable energy by 2020.

But any advantage Malta has in terms of abundant sunshine, it loses through its lack of another vital resource: space. Measuring just 316 km², Malta’s limited surface area means that, beyond the existing photovoltaic (PV) panels installed on rooftops or disused quarries, any land left for larger PV installations is rare and expensive. 

The Institute for Sustainable Energy at the University of Malta believes the answer to this problem lies not on land, but at sea. Malta being surrounded by water, SolAqua proposed that installing solar panels in open water, in offshore floating PV farms, could be as cost-effective and reliable as those on land—an idea that has never progressed beyond the theoretical stage anywhere in the world. 

There are many PV projects happening on fresh water around the world, from China and the UK to France and USA but none of them are working on open sea. All these PV farms are installed in more sheltered, land-locked waters such as irrigation ponds or lakes.

The Solaqua project aims to prove that PV Systems can survive, and do so at a comparable cost to land-based PV farms.

Offshore vs Land: Advantages

1. An offshore installation could potentially be constructed for a cost comparable or even cheaper than one on land;
2. It could be located close to existing high power transmission lines thus minimizing connection costs;
3. There could also be synergies with commercial or sports fishing since floating structures are likely to attract fish;
4. Large floating PV structures could also act as wave breakers in strategic locations;
5. Performance compared to land based systems should actually improve due to the cooling effect of the sea and light reflection from the surface. 

Offshore Solar Panels vs Other Offshore Renewable Structures: 

In the renewable energy field we are already very familiar with offshore wind turbines and the developing field of wave energy. When compared to these technologies, offshore photovoltaic have some distinct advantages:

1. There are no moving parts;
2. A simpler anchoring can be set-up;
3. There is no massive structures – can be built modularly;
4. It can be installed close to land since they are not very high and therefore do not have a large visual impact.