Clean energy experts from Canada have set up a small-scale floating solar array that generates 7 kilowatts of power in a privately owned pond in Ilderton, Ontario.
Surface camera imagery and visual observations noted fish occasionally gathering under the floating arrays during warm summer afternoons, using the structure for shade.
This foam-based technology not only reduces the temperature of water underneath the panels but also produces renewable energy at the same time.
In preparation for the arrival of winter season, scientists observed how the floating solar technology reacted as ice formed on its surface.
Observing aquatic life around floating shade stations
The solar panels fixed to the buoyant rafts made from closed-cell foam formed thick artificial shading over the shallow pond waters.
Fish were observed congregating beneath the buoyant rafts during warm daytime periods when solar irradiance was at its peak.
Outdoor surveillance cameras monitoring the array recorded fish preferring the shaded region directly beneath the panels over open water.
The physical barrier created by the array reduces direct solar heating of the upper water layer beneath the structure.
While shading alters local light levels in the pond, primary research measurements focused on thermal dynamics, evaporation reduction, and system durability rather than ecological behavioral mechanisms.
Measuring water cooling beneath foam raft arrays
Dark PV panels absorb the sun’s rays before they reach the water surface, ensuring that the strong sunlight doesn’t reach the water column below.
Thermal gauges monitored water temperatures 15.7 inches beneath the array to model the system’s thermal performance and thermodynamic efficiency.
The cooling effect of the water surface leads to reduced evaporation from the surface area.
While the array limits light reaching the water column, field observations actually recorded seasonal biofouling, including algae forming surface mats and creeping onto the modules.
The primary environmental benefit measured was reduced surface evaporation, as the trial focused on system energy yields and hardware durability rather than dissolved oxygen or ecological stability.
The panels preserve freshwater resources as they function.
Testing floating hardware against severe Canadian winters
As temperatures fell during the autumn season, the water surfaces in the pond were turned into solid sheets of blue ice.
To protect the floating hardware during freezing periods, the trial deployed an active air-bubbler system to maintain ice-free open water directly surrounding the array.
This active ice-mitigation method prevented expanding ice sheets from exerting direct lateral forces or structural loads on the foam pontoons.
Boosting solar efficiency with cold air and snow reflection
The natural cold environment helped to cool the silicon solar cells. The snowy ground reflected sunlight back on to the panels through the glass, thereby increasing overall energy production during the bright winter days.
The cold operating temperatures meant that there were no thermal efficiency losses associated with summer solar performance.
Overall winter power production was high despite the shorter daylight hours and the low angle of the sun.
Snow acted as the reflector for sunlight at mid-winter operating times.
Defining the limits of small pond winter trials
Field test results from Ilderton demonstrate that a foam-backed floating array can successfully operate through a cold-climate winter when supported by active ice-prevention measures.
Observations based on one particular 7-kilowatt array deployed in a sheltered farm pond are insufficient to predict the behavior of such structures in large northern lakes.
It is yet to be determined whether the foam used in construction can withstand years of exposure to multiple freeze-thaw cycles.
Large ice expansions and movement of ice floes in large reservoirs might call for heavy anchorages and strengthened frames.
Further tests in cold climates for multiple years to come will reveal if foam bases are suitable for commercial farms.
While this demonstration highlights the feasibility of winter operation using bubblers in a sheltered pond, establishing broad commercial viability will require multi-year testing to evaluate passive ice loading, wave dynamics, and long-term mooring resilience.
All the study details can be read here: Hayibo, K. S., Rahman, M. M., & Pearce, J. M. (2026). Design and thermal-energy performance analysis of foam-based floating photovoltaic systems in a cold climate: experimental results from a floatovoltaics in Canada. Applied Energy, 420, 128159.
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