Water Wise Solar Solutions

Solar: Land vs. Water

May 5, 2025

Floating solar systems (FPV) offer several advantages over traditional ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) installations, particularly in arid regions where land is scarce and water evaporation rates are high. These advantages include:

Efficient land use: FPV enables the dual-use of existing water bodies—such as reservoirs, irrigation ponds, and wastewater lagoons—without consuming valuable agricultural land, habitat corridors, or urban development zones. This dual-use approach can be particularly beneficial in densely developed or conservation-sensitive regions.
Improved system performance: PV panels deployed over water tend to operate at lower ambient temperatures due to the thermal buffering effect of the underlying water surface. This cooling effect can enhance panel efficiency by 5–10% relative to land-based systems, depending on climate and panel type.
Water conservation benefits: Every acre of FPV coverage in New Mexico can save approximately 5.6 acre-feet of water annually by reducing direct surface evaporation through shading and reduced air flow exposure. In regions with severe drought and high evaporation, this represents a critical environmental and economic co-benefit.
Infrastructure synergies: Reservoirs typically already have existing infrastructure in place, such as access roads, water management personnel, and connections to pumping stations or hydropower facilities. These existing assets can significantly reduce development and interconnection costs for FPV projects.
Reduced environmental impact: Unlike land-based PV, which often requires land clearing, grading, or soil compaction, FPV installations typically avoid surface disturbance altogether. They do not require concrete foundations or perimeter fencing and have a lighter environmental footprint in terms of vegetation removal, erosion, or habitat fragmentation.
Minimized shading and obstruction losses: Open water surfaces offer uniform solar exposure with little to no risk of obstruction from trees, buildings, or topographic shading. This allows for consistent panel layout and tilt orientation, further optimizing energy yield.

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Solar: Land vs. Water

Solar: Land vs. Water

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