Construction begins on largest floating solar farm in Europe
Construction work has started to create Europe’s biggest ever floating solar panel array on London’s Queen Elizabeth II reservoir. The project is part of Thames Water’s bid to self-generate a third of its own energy by 2020.
Just over 23,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels will be floated on the reservoir near Walton-on-Thames, following an agreement between Thames Water, Ennoviga Solar and Lightsource Renewable Energy.
The innovative floating pontoon will cover around a tenth of the reservoir – enough to fill eight Wembley football pitches.
Thames Water’s Energy Manager, Angus Berry said: “Becoming a more sustainable business is integral to our long term strategy and this innovative new project brings us one step closer to achieving our goal – this is the right thing for our customers, the right thing for our stakeholders and most importantly the right thing for the environment.”
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