Europe’s largest floating solar farm powers up
The size of eight football pitches, the solar array will power a water treatment plant on the outskirts of London.
On the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir near Heathrow airport, the solar panel array has been built to supply energy to a Thames Water treatment plant fed by the reservoir.
With a surface area of 57,000 m2 the solar array covers less than 10% of the reservoir.
Built from 23,046 solar panel modules, the array is expected to generate 5.8 million kilowatt hours in its first year, enough to power 1,800 homes.
Nick Boyle, CEO of Lightsource, the company which has built the array said that although constructing the array on water added to the logistical challenge of the project there were benefits as well “ The solar panels work optimally at low temperatures as does the wiring and the water acts to cool them, increasing their efficiency.”
The solar array will not connect to the National Grid but after testing is complete it will be attached to the private electrical grid at the water plant where it is expected to provide 20% of the plant’s electricity needs.
News
30 Jun, 2025
A solar-powered UK: Roadmap outlines path to 2030 objective
In excellent news for the UK solar industry, the Government has published the Solar RoadMap for a 'United Kingdom powered by Solar'.
26 Jun, 2025
SolarPower Europe launches Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2025-2029
Read our summary of SolarPower Europe’s Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2025-2029.
05 Jun, 2025
PPAs: a key lever for the energy transition in Europe
Watch our webinar to learn about how sustainable PPAs are emerging as a key commercial solution for corporate buyers.