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Search the Public Notice PortalFloating solar panels could soon replace part of a wakeboarding lake in a bid to slash carbon emissions.
Plans have been submitted to New Forest District Council to install around 200 floating solar panels at New Forest Water Park, with the panels set to sit on the site’s northernmost lake.
The proposal would see an existing floating wavebreaker removed and replaced with a solar array anchored in place using chains and bungees.
According to the application, no building works would be required at the Fordingbridge site, and existing concrete anchors already in the water would be used.
New Forest Water Park director Ben Jury said the project was aimed at reducing the business’s carbon footprint and helping it move towards net zero emissions.
In planning documents submitted to the council, he said: “We are trying to decrease our carbon footprint by replacing an already existing floating walkway with 200 solar panels which would be anchored into place using underwater chains and bungees.
“The solar array would simply replace a walkway which is already in situ and due to the floats being anchored with chains and bungees, the array would be moveable if required.”
Mr Jury said the installation would not be a permanent structure and could be moved if necessary, although the business hoped to keep it in place for the foreseeable future.
He added that no additional infrastructure would be needed because the site’s existing garage space was large enough to connect the solar array to its electrical system.
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Explaining the reasoning behind the proposal, Mr Jury said: “As we don’t have the roof space or appropriate land for solar panels, a floating solution is our only real solution to providing enough energy to help our business towards achieving net zero emissions.”
He added that the scheme could demonstrate the potential of floating solar technology for other businesses looking to generate renewable energy without using valuable land.
He added: “Floating solar is such an exciting new form of generating power without compromising on land space, biodiversity and bulky new land structures.”
The application states the solar panels would be self-floating and positioned in the middle of the lake’s wakeboard cable system.
The park offers a wide range of activities, from wakeboarding and kayaking to open water swimming, plus an inflatable aqua park.
A decision date has yet to be set by the council.
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