The Council of Ministers approved today a royal decree establishing a public concession regime for installing floating photovoltaic plants on reservoirs that are public hydraulic domain, with a maximum term of 25 years, according to Teresa Ribera, the third vice president and minister for the Ecological Transition, who announced the measure at a press conference after the meeting of ministers.
Interested parties may apply on their own initiative or through a public concurso organized by the basin organization for the potential exploitation of the reservoir. The solar panels may occupy between 5 percent and 15 percent of the reservoir surface, depending on water quality. These limits can be reduced by considering the exploitation regime or existing uses and rights, among other factors. It will be prohibited in basins, lagoons, or bodies of water that are not artificial and are protected, added the vice president.
Overall, about 106 reservoirs exist where floating solar panels could be placed, according to the draft royal decree published in 2022, to which planned installations such as the Canal de Navarra will be added, Ribera noted.
Spain is the world leader in electricity demand coverage with solar generation, accounting for more than 21 percent of energy, according to the International Energy Agency. In addition to onshore deployment, there is growing interest in floating solar plants as a means to support irrigation water bodies and reduce energy costs for farmers, she explained.
The ministry argues that these installations provide benefits for both energy production and the environment. They can generate more electricity than their land-based counterparts thanks to water cooling and reduced dust. They also contribute to protecting and improving water bodies by lowering evaporation and mitigating algal blooms through the shade they provide.
Once access and grid connection rights are secured, and when the central government handles hydraulic and energy matters, the public hydraulic domain concession and the prior administrative authorization can be processed and granted simultaneously, under a procedure that will be governed by a ministerial order. This was one of the points that delayed the royal decree, according to Ribera, after the State Council requested a single, unified point of processing for these files.
Floating photovoltaic facilities will be subject to the public hydraulic domain usage fee and, in the case of reservoirs owned by the state, to concession and regulatory fees.
Attribution: statements and figures come from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the associated regulatory draft and press briefings.