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UK floating solar panel project to complete by end of March

Xinhua, March 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

The floating solar panel project on a reservoir near Heathrow Airport will be completed by the end of March.

The installation has been carried out by Lightsource Renewable Energy, the largest solar energy company in Britain, earlier in February with more than 23,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels floated on the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir near Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.

The company will oversee the deployment of more than 61,000 floats and 177 anchors, which will provide the floating platform for the solar array. It said the project will cover a 10th of the reservoir, equivalent to the area of eight Wembley football pitches.

Thames Water, water and wastewater services company, who manage the reservoir, said the 6-million-pound (8.49 million U.S. dollars) project's total installed peak capacity will reach 6.3 megawatts, while the project is expected to generate 5.8 million kilowatt hours in its first year, equivalent to the annual consumption of around 1,800 homes.

"We're delighted to have begun work on another ambitious milestone project for Lightsource with our first floating solar installation... Over the last five years we've successfully completed ground and roof installations of all shapes and sizes, but this project has some obvious differences and has presented our team with a set of fresh challenges to overcome," said Nick Boyle, CEO of Lightsource.

"Becoming a more sustainable business is integral to our long term strategy and this innovative new project brings us one step closer to achieving our goal. This is the right thing for our customers, the right thing for our stakeholders and most importantly the right thing for the environment," said Angus Berry, energy manger of Thames Water. Endit