It might reduce evaporation. Nevertheless I fear that large water bodies will require very complex and expensive infrastructure that will make economy unrealistic...

It is premature to want to evaluate the impact that these projects will have on local flora and fauna. But some environmental associations are already sounding the alarm about the dangers of this type of project. They are particularly worried about the impact of these lake plants on the quality of the water, and fear eutrophication due to the decrease of the sunshine of the aquatic plants located under the surface of the water. The development of phytoplankton may also slow down, which could disrupt the food chain. Other associations fear for certain species of insects and migratory birds. Cormorants, in particular, could be disturbed by the glossy surfaces of the panels, which they would confuse with the surface of the water. Still, solar panels never cover 100% of the surface of the water, but generally between 30 and 50%, with a maximum around 70%.

These floating solar panels are mostly used to change the mentality around the ecology and to bring new actors to be part of it. On the other hand, beyond these green technological advances, several questions arise. How is cohabitation with the surrounding fauna? Will nesting birds not be disturbed? Which cleaning products will be used? So many questions that remain unanswered for the moment, but which deserve attention, because who says ecology and development of green and renewable energies, also says respect for our ecosystem.

What you need to know with solar technology is that the more the panels heat up the lower their efficiency. Install solar panels on the water allows a natural cooling that improves the yield to reach up to 9 hours of productivity per day.

Regards

Thank you Yoram and Bacir

Also read floating solar FPV has increased efficiency due to cooler panels, while a decreased surface temperature of the water body reduces the rate of evaporation.

Studies to confirm these claims?

FC

The advantages of FSPV can be classified under three heads:

1. Economical and technical benefits

i. Conserve valuable land for farming, mining, tourism and other land intensive activities and turn used and non revenue generating water surface into profitable solar power plants.

ii. No land acquisition required for floating PV Project.

iii. Due to the cooling effect of the water on both the panel and the electrical equipments, all water resistant, floating solar plants are expected to yield a higher power output than the conventional solar installation, Daily average generation(kwh) of the FPV plants is approximately 10% higher compared to the land based system, thus the return on investment is higher.

2. Environmental Impacts

i. As water bodies are exposed to the sun, photosynthesis promotes growth of organic matter, including algae but FSPV reduces production of algae growth due to reduced sunlight penetration and reduced photosynthesis.

ii. Typically areas with high solar energy potential tend to be dusty and arid, so in comparison to their ground mounted counterparts, floating PV system not only have to perform in a low dust environment, they can always use a sprinkler to bathe themselves clean.

3. Preserving ecosystem

i. Most of the systems are supported on HDPE blocks; can safely be installed on drinking water reservoirs.

ii. Generally anchors require no excavation and have no impact on existing ecosystem.

I would add a fourth aspect to ' Economical and technical benefits' of Anik Goswami's comment: the increased potential of lakes as surface water cooling systems.

Lakes provide an efficient way for the cooling of e.g. building, but the potential for dissipating heat decreases along the summer because of the solar heating (see e.g. Conference Paper Experimental calibration of a one-dimensional model for simu...

Very good reference from Peter Seidel, summary of benefits from RecGroup

https://www.recgroup.com/sites/default/files/documents/wp_-_floating_pv_rev_d_web.pdf

New 2020 book chapter publication related to our question

The Dawn of Floating Solar: Technology, Benefits and Challenges

Chapter The Dawn of Floating Solar—Technology, Benefits, and Challenges

I subscribe all the advantages highlighted by Anik Goswami and Freek Van Riet . However, I would like to highlight that the gains in energy production that have been so far claimed among both the academy and industry parties shall be read cautiously. The energy gains are very much dependent on the climate (mainly GHI and ambient temperature) and the technology that you use, has it has a huge effect on the cooling effect. Technologies like HDPE can be expected to have a lower increase in production (cooling by convection) than membranes (PV module directly installed on top membrane which is direct contact with water). For further reference I'd recommend a quick review of: Field experience and performance analysis of floating PV technologies in the tropics. Link: Article Field experience and performance analysis of floating PV tec...

Theoratically, it looks very fascinating to use Floating Solar Panels in a water body like an ocean, irrigation canal, dam, river or a lake etc. but there are many practical difficulties of putting them in any of the above mentioned water bodies. If it is necessary to use them in a water body due to the reasons mentioned by my fellow scientists, then I recommend that they may be installed near the coast of the ocean or banks of the rivers/ canals for their safety and design a waterway to cool them down. Thanks

Looks like there's a research project now focused on this topic.

https://www-ucf-edu.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-leads-national-team-to-study-floating-solar/?amp

Something to keep track of.

Saving ground space for agriculture and protection from overheating

I feel that solar arrays should be put on urban structures, and over paved surfaces. There is already so much area covered by these impervious structures why not use those areas instead of loosing more habitat.