Floating solar farm under construction on Lancaster reservoir

Langthwaite Reservoir in Lancaster will soon be sporting an unusual new feature.

United Utilities is building a floating solar farm on the surface.

The 1MW  array will be around 7,200 square metres in size with approximately 3,520 solar panels. Once complete, it will generate enough electricity to power the neighbouring Lancaster water treatment works which produces water for 152,000 people across Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham.

The company says the project will help reduce water bills for customers.

Richard Waggitt, head of renewable energy at United Utilities, explained: “In this case water and electricity really do mix. Solar panels are more efficient than they used to be; there is a misconception that you need high levels of sunlight, when in fact daylight is sufficient.

“What you do need is unshaded space for the arrays, and that’s where the surface area of our reservoirs is a real advantage.”

The solar farm will consist of “rafts” of floats with the solar panels mounted on top. The rafts will be bolted together and held in place using specially designed mooring and anchoring systems to allow for fluctuations in the water level.

United Utilities started the eight-week installation process earlier this month (October). The project is being delivered by main contractor Forrest and local suppliers will play a key role in the construction, including Carnforth firm Northern Pontoons.

Picture: United Utilities head of renweable energy Richard Waggitt

Barry Tayburn, head of energy at Forrest said: “We have commissioned a brand new float system for Lancaster, working with local businesses Northern Pontoons and Aqua-Dock, producing the floats off-site.

“Once transported to the reservoir, tables of 20 panels are floated out via a launch platform and then connected to anchors in-situ.  This system really is a viable option for producers of large amounts of energy as a serious alternative to ground-mounted arrays.”

United Utilities aims to use all the solar power it generates in-house rather than export it to the power grid.

“Increasing our generation of renewable energy is not only good for the environment it’s good for our business too,” said Waggitt.

“Energy is one of a water company’s largest controllable operational costs. By generating our own power, we can protect United Utilities from a volatile energy market, which will allow us predict our cost of treatment and stabilise bills for our customers.”

The Lancaster project is United Utilities’ second floating solar installation. The company installed Europe’s first commercial floating solar farm at its Godley reservoir near Manchester in February 2016. That array is three times the size of the one being built at Lancaster and can generate 3GWh of electricity per year.

Waggitt added that the company had learnt a lot from the installation at Godley: “The solar panels are less visually intrusive than people expect. They don’t reflect dazzling sunlight because they absorb light as part of the conversion to electricity. We do our best to ensure that, within reason, they blend in with the environment.”

It is also thought that floating solar panels can help reduce the growth of algae in the water by blocking out the light. Less algae means the treatment process can run with fewer chemicals and less energy.

The new floating array at Lancaster will provide an opportunity for scientists to study the effect this kind of installation can have on water quality. A team from the University of Lancaster will be tasked with undertaking this research.

Floating solar is one part of United Utilities’ strategy to embrace renewable energy.  The company already has over 40 land-based renewable systems across the north west region with a combined capacity of 45MW.  The majority are solar arrays on roofs and open ground at its treatment sites across the north west. It plans to install another 22 solar sites over the next two years.