Floating PV: An example of nature-enhancing entrepreneurship

Sweco’s latest Urban Insight report highlights the importance of biodiversity and offers practical advice to help businesses tackle the issue. Building a business that enhances nature is an important step in achieving more sustainable biodiversity management. In Mol, we support this principle with a special project: the first large-scale floating solar park in Flanders.

A first in a nature reserve

The Floating PV project at the De Schans sand quarry in Mol-Dessel was one of the first of its kind in our country. Since the energy project transpired in a nature reserve, the impact on biodiversity had to be central from the outset. Little knowledge existed about the possible effects on wintering and breeding waterbirds, fish, and other aquatic life. Sweco therefore developed assessment methods, which take factors such as light incidence and water surface cover into account.

Energy and ecology in balance

We carefully tailored the energy extraction to the environment thanks to intensive consultations and our own guidelines, approved by the Agency for Nature and Forests, among others. Besides mitigating potential negative impacts, opportunities also came into view: aquatic organisms find shelter or new attachment sites on the floating structures.

Sustainable added value for the region

The solar farm, with a capacity of 7 MWp and an annual output equal to the consumption of 2,000 households, supplies its electricity mainly to Sibelco itself. Thus, green energy is utilised locally and cleverly linked to economic activities. Sweco guided the process from feasibility study to permit application and now acts as technical advisor. The project illustrates how companies can already work on nature-enhancing business today: through innovation, collaboration, and with respect for biodiversity.

Discover the five steps to increase biodiversity in your business operations in the Urban Insight report.