6. June 2026

Ever hear of "floatovoltaics"?

Japan has been using floating PV farms for years. The technology provides many benefits relative to ground-mounted installations, for example: (1) Japan can expand its solar capacity without clearing forests or taking up valuable agricultural land; (2) the natural cooling effect of the water keeps the photovoltaic panels from overheating, which results in higher energy yields than ground-mounted systems; and (3) the panels shade the water, which reduces evaporation and restricts the growth of harmful algae blooms.