One of the first major pilots is already performed at ‘the Slufter’, a dredging sludge depot of some 250 acres, east at the Maasvlakte. National consortium ‘Zon op Water’ (Sun on Water) – in which thirty companies, R&D institutions and governments agencies cooperate – have chosen this location for its large amount of sun hours annually. Also, the effects of weather on modules can be tested optimally.

Led by Stowa (Foundation of applied research water management), the consortium examines which requirements floating solar systems must meet in order to become licensed. If the pilot is successful, the sludge depot will have half a million solar modules on 200 acres, generating over 100 MW, more than enough electricity for 30.000 average Western households.

‘It’s a pity we were too late and couldn’t join them’, Sytse Brouwer, director of Herbo Groenleven, Heerenveen, says. Groenleven is a Frysian project developer of floating solar platforms that has turned its eye on shallow waters in the northern part of the Netherlands. Out of all Dutch grant applications for solar in 2017, Groenleven has gained the most. To mention the biggest three: 38,4 MW at Druten, 30,7 at Emmen and 48,7 MW at Vlagtwedde.

This spring the company delivered the biggest floating solar farm of Europe so far: 23 MW or 80.000 solar modules on an abandoned sandpit at Tynaarlo, Drente. The power of solar modules will provide energy to pumps that transport water to higher parts of the plant. When there’s a shortage of electricity, this water will be released to power the pumps again, thus creating an energy storage facility.