Solar powered solutions are advancing at such a pace that we may soon look back at our harmful fossil fuel guzzling days in the same way we do with smoking.
Advances have sped up over last five years especially with improved efficiency, allowing us to apply solar powered solutions to large-scale projects, encouraged by government incentives and a drive for sustainability.
Solar carports are now common in Europe, solar canopies are being built over graveyards in France and Spain while a solar-powered desalination system developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has the power to provide clean drinking water to two billion people.
Solspan looks at the six most innovative solar powered solutions currently being piloted and rolled out.
Solar powered refrigeration units
Refrigeration in the food chain including supermarkets and delivery lorries account for a whopping 18 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Institute of Refrigeration.
So kudos to Tesco for introducing solar powered refrigeration units in its fleet in 2025 after a successful pilot.
The five battery and solar powered units replace diesel-powered ones, helping the supermarket to slash its carbon footprint by five tonnes per vehicle per year.
Tesco is now looking at introducing more solar powered refrigeration units to help it reach its sustainability targets and it’s hoped that other supermarkets will follow suit.
Solar panel buses
Bus and coach companies contribute around six per cent of all global transportation emissions per year.
While innovative UK bus company The Big Lemon uses solar panels on its bus depots to power buses, several European pilot schemes are taking solar one step further by installing ultra-thin and lightweight solar mats on top of buses to keep the battery charged and power on board equipment.
Germany’s FlixBus saw a reduction of seven per cent in diesel consumption on its twice weekly service from Dortmund to London and now integrates solar technology on long distance routes in the USA.
So far, the company’s overall CO2 emissions have been reduced by 6.5 per cent and they hope the technology can be rolled out to all its fleet.
Combined solar and agriclture AKA agrivoltaics, agrisolar or dual-use solar
Many countries have adopted agrivoltaics because it not only increases food and energy production but leads to less conflict around land use.
There are several different models including vertical solar panels orientated east to west leaving space for crops to grow and farm equipment and solar panels placed evenly between rows of crops.
In all agrivoltaics models the panels protect the crops from extreme heat, cold, wind and rain by creating a microclimate with some farms reporting an average 20 per cent increase in yields.
They also reduce evaporation from the soil, meaning they require up to 20 per cent less water.
There are an estimated 1000 agrivoltaic systems around the world with most in China, USA and Japan. Research is now focused on semi-transparent solar panels to filter sunlight to certain crops.
Unfortunately, the UK lags behind though there are some solar farm projects with grazing included.
Solar roads, cycle paths & pavements
Can you imagine a world where pavements, cycle paths and roads are generating electricity for homes, charging stations and intelligent road markings as well as heat to stop ice and snow build up?
It’s already happening in pilot projects in the USA, France and The Netherlands where solar panels are integrated into the surface of roads, cycle lanes and pavements.
Intelligent road makings include lighting and LED lights for lane markings and signs and communication systems for highways management.
However, two of the current challenges are long term durability and financial viability.
Floating solar farms AKA 'Floatovoltaics'
Some 71 per cent of our planet is covered by water so what better way than to float solar panels on the surface of large bodies of water like reservoirs?
By covering 30 per cent of the surface of the world’s 115,000 reservoirs with solar, we could generate 9,434 terawatt hours of power annually which is triple the amount of EU energy production in 2021, according a study published in Nature.
The UK lays claim to the largest floating solar farm at Surrey’s Queen Elizabeth Reservoir run by Thames Water to power its treatment works, with solar panels taking up the equivalent of eight football pitches.
Interestingly, a solar farm project built 1,800m above sea level on Lac de Toules in Switzerland produces 50 per cent more energy than low lying panels because of intense radiation and reflected solar radiation from the winter snow.
In South Korea, the Saemangeum floating solar project aims to be the biggest of its kind, generating enough energy for one million households a year rivalling two of China’s big floating solar farms.
Solar trees
Building up makes perfect sense in densely populated cities where space is at a premium and demand for energy is high.
Architects behind Singapore’s Gardens of the Bay have taken a leaf out of nature by creating 18 stunning trees as part of its Supertree Grove with 11 containing solar panels to generate electricity and power water technology in the gardens.
They contain walkways and observation decks and host regular music and light shows.
Currently solar trees are expensive to build though perhaps as technology improves, they may become part of future cityscapes.
