Floating solar power is starting to gain some traction in the United States. Installing solar panels on rafts so that they float on water instead of sitting on land allows them to not take up land that can be used for other purposes. There are other benefits as well.
The world’s largest floating solar farm is one in Shandong, China, and produces 320 MW of power. Floating solar has been common in Asia for years. To date, floating solar only makes up a tiny fraction of the installed solar power in the U.S. and is mostly limited to small-scale projects. The largest in the U.S. is the 8.0 MW Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant in Millburn, NJ. A floating solar array in the water reservoir at the Cohoes Water Filtration Plant in New York’s Capital Region is currently under construction. A 6-MW floating solar system is now being built in the Village of Monroeville, Ohio.
Floating solar systems have the advantage that covering the surface of reservoirs dramatically reduces the amount of evaporation that occurs, which is a real benefit in drought-stricken regions like California. In addition, proximity to the large body of water keeps solar panels cool, which allows them to generate more electricity than their land-based counterparts.
Estimates are that federally controlled reservoirs alone have the potential to host roughly 1,000 GW of floating solar capacity. It is more expensive to install them than conventional land-based solar and floating solar competes with recreational use of bodies of water. Nonetheless, the floating solar market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
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Ohio’s largest floating solar array is now under construction
Photo, posted May 28, 2025, courtesy of Mike Popp / University of Arkansas via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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