Oil giants team up to float coastal solar vision

Italian oilfield engineering specialist Saipem and Norwegian energy giant Equinor have today announced that they have signed a cooperation agreement to jointly develop a floating solar panel park technology for near coastal sites.

The project will be led by Moss Maritime,part of Saipem's XSIGHT division, with a view to developinga modularised floating solar system, designed for easy fabrication, transportation and installation at operation site.

A number of floating solar projects have been developed around the world, primarily on lakes and reservoirs. Advocates of the approach argue that it allows for significant solar capacity to be added close to population centres without impacting land use. Moreover, the panels tend to work more effectively when kept cool by the water and they can serve to limit evaporation from reservoirs.

However, the new project aims to adapt the approach for more rough weather conditions, allowing additional locations to be considered. As such the Moss Maritime solution is suitable for areas where there are no large water reservoirs and also for very windy areas, the companies said.

As part of the cooperation agreement,Equinor and Moss Maritime will now "combine their experiences and know-how to further develop the concept with a competitive and cost-effective approach that shall meet the increasing demand for renewable energy solutions", they added.

Ida Husem, CEO of Moss Maritime, said the partnership was a further boost to Saipem and Moss Maritime's plans to develop new clean technologies.

"Moss Maritime is constantly looking for opportunities where to apply its expertise in engineering design and services also in the renewable energy sector," she added.

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