# Floatovoltaics (DD-608) > Floating solar, also called floating photovoltaics (FPV) or floatovoltaics, puts solar panels on pontoons or purpose-built floats on reservoirs, lakes, ponds and other calm water. According to the World Bank's 2019 market report, the first FPV system was built in 2007 in Aichi, Japan. The first commercial installation was a 175 kWp array on a winery's irrigation pond in Napa Valley, California, in 2008. The report says the platform is held in place by anchoring and mooring to the bank, to the bottom, to piles, or a combination. Besides saving land, the report lists possible benefits: reduced evaporation from reservoirs, better energy yield because water cools the panels and there's less dust, and the option of using existing power lines at hydropower dams. It also notes that the size of these performance gains has yet to be confirmed by larger installations across multiple regions and over time. Wikipedia reports installed capacity grew from about 3 GW in 2020 to 13 GW in 2022. It cites a World Bank estimate of 6,600 large bodies of water suitable for floating solar, with more than 4,000 GW of technical capacity if 10% of their surface were covered. Some footage shows panels on fixed posts over shallow water, a closely related approach that is included as illustration. - Department: Tech (also Nature) - First published: 2025-07-05 - Last updated: 2025-07-05 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/floatovoltaics/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **2007**: The first floating PV system is built in Aichi, Japan - **2008**: The first commercial floating PV system is installed on a winery pond in Napa Valley, California Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=floatovoltaics ## Quick facts - **DD-608-F01**: The first floating solar system was built in Aichi, Japan, in 2007. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (First in Japan))_ - **DD-608-F02**: Floating solar platforms are anchored to the bank, the bottom or piles. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (Held in place))_ ## Write-up Solar farms that float. The first was built in Aichi, Japan, in 2007. 1. **On the water**: Floating solar puts PV panels on floats on reservoirs, lakes and ponds, sparing land. 2. **First in Japan**: The first system was built in 2007 in Aichi, Japan. The first commercial one, in 2008, was on a California winery pond. 3. **Held in place**: Platforms are anchored and moored to the bank, the bottom, piles or a combination. 4. **Extra perks**: Possible benefits include less evaporation and cooler, cleaner panels, though the World Bank says the gains still need confirming at scale. 5. **Growing fast**: Installed capacity grew from about 3 GW in 2020 to 13 GW in 2022. ## Related case files - [Guizhou Solar (DD-032)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/guizhou-solar/): Another solar farm case - [Airborne Wind Turbines (DD-050)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/airborne-wind-turbines/): Another unusual renewable-energy setup ## Reel vs. record - **Note**: 'Anchored to the bed or shore': or to piles, or a combination of these, according to the World Bank. - **Note**: 'Bodies of water like reservoirs, lakes, or slow-moving rivers': most installations are on calm, man-made water such as reservoirs and irrigation ponds. The World Bank's potential estimates focus on man-made freshwater reservoirs. - **Note**: 'Leverage unused water surfaces': also, the water cools the panels and they shade the water, which may raise output and reduce evaporation. The World Bank says the size of these gains still needs confirming at scale. - **Note**: 'Reducing land competition with agriculture': the first commercial system (2008) was put on a winery pond specifically to avoid taking land from grapevines. - **Missing**: the first floating PV system was built in Aichi, Japan, in 2007, and capacity reached about 13 GW worldwide by 2022. ## Video: Floatovoltaics: Solar Farms That Float - Duration: 22.9 s · Published: 2025-07-05 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DLt2at9N9tj.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? Floating solar farms are arrays of photovoltaic panels mounted on floating structures that sit on bodies of water like reservoirs, lakes, or slow-moving rivers. Instead of using valuable land, these systems leverage unused water surfaces, reducing land competition with agriculture or urban development. The floating platforms support solar modules, inverters, and walkways, and are anchored to the bed or shore. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: Where was the first floating solar system built?** A: In 2007. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (On the water) · World Bank Group, ESMAP and SERIS (2019), Where Sun Meets Water: Floating Solar Market Report; Wikipedia: Floating solar)_ **Q: Which is NOT a way floating solar platforms are anchored?** A: Per the World Bank report. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (First in Japan) · World Bank Group, ESMAP and SERIS (2019), Where Sun Meets Water: Floating Solar Market Report; Wikipedia: Floating solar)_ **Q: Why can floating panels yield more power?** A: Cooler panels are more efficient. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (On the water) · World Bank Group, ESMAP and SERIS (2019), Where Sun Meets Water: Floating Solar Market Report; Wikipedia: Floating solar)_ **Q: Where was the first commercial floating solar plant installed?** A: 175 kWp, in 2008. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (On the water) · World Bank Group, ESMAP and SERIS (2019), Where Sun Meets Water: Floating Solar Market Report; Wikipedia: Floating solar)_ **Q: Roughly how much floating solar was installed by 2022?** A: Up from about 3 GW in 2020. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (On the water) · World Bank Group, ESMAP and SERIS (2019), Where Sun Meets Water: Floating Solar Market Report; Wikipedia: Floating solar)_ ## Sources - [World Bank Group, ESMAP and SERIS (2019), Where Sun Meets Water: Floating Solar Market Report](https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/670101560451219695/pdf/Floating-Solar-Market-Report.pdf) - [Wikipedia: Floating solar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_solar) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Floatovoltaics." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-608, last updated Jul 5, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/floatovoltaics/