Floating PV represents a promising approach to increasing solar energy capacity in land-constrained regions, enabling dual use of water surfaces while avoiding conflicts over land. However, uncertainties remain regarding yield modelling, degradation mechanisms, and the development of cost-efficient O&M strategies. This report addresses these knowledge gaps and provides practical guidance for stakeholders across the solar industry.

Key Findings.......

1. The potential of FPV to expand solar capacity without land constraints is very promising, but uncertainties related to environmental impacts, complex or missing regulatory frameworks, and cost barriers slow its adoption.
2. The report provides guidance to improve engineering judgements of FPV specific losses in energy yield assessments (EYA). The accuracy of EYA for FPV can be further improved by closing gaps in meteorological data and gaining more quantitative knowledge on loss mechanisms and degradation.
3. Improvements and automation of monitoring and O&M practices, combined with more open sharing of data, can reduce costs during operation and support assessment of FPV specific stressors and reliability, ultimately leading to faster scalability.

The report also includes........

• Quantitative recommendations for energy yield assessments of inland and nearshore FPV.
• An analysis of degradation mechanisms and stress-testing needs for floating systems.
• A preliminary failure and effects analysis to support O&M planning and risk management.
• Insights into simulation and remote sensing tools to optimise performance.

As floating PV continues to scale—especially in areas where land is scarce—this report serves as a valuable resource for researchers, developers, investors, and regulators working to advance sustainable and efficient FPV deployment......read the report      https://iea-pvps.org/key-topics/t13-floating-pv-plants-review-2025/2025

Manufacturing an EV requires a whole new set of critical materials — including up to six times the quantity of metals and minerals when compared to an ICE car. EV batteries, for instance, need lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Rare earth metals go into the magnets in EV motors. Aluminum and copper help distribute electricity around the car. Not all of these are readily available, or available in vast supply. “I think there can be very serious concerns over: ‘Do you have enough copper? Do you have enough aluminum?’” Snowdon says.

For the mining of other metals, such as lithium and cobalt, the markets have seen high levels of investment over the past three or four years, he adds.  The distribution of these metals also differs from that of the materials for traditional ICE cars. Chile is the Saudi Arabia of copper, with about a third of global production. Three-quarters of the world’s supply of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 60% of rare earths come from China. Further, upwards of 60% — and, in some cases, close to 90% — of refining capacity for these metals and minerals lies in China. Automobile firms will have to build new supply chains to source the materials for their vehicles.

 EV battery prices will fall — and soon........Batteries power an EV — and also drive up its cost. Today, nearly a third of the price of an EV is its batteries, so if EVs have to match ICE cars on price, the batteries need to be cheaper. But that dip in the cost of batteries is imminent. At present, the average cost per kilowatt-hour of these batteries is $110–120. Goldman Sachs Research now expects battery prices to fall 40 percent by 2025 from 2023 levels, towards $91 per kilowatt hour......read on and check out The Future of Four Wheels, a four-part podcast series from Goldman Sachs Exchanges, https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/the-future-of-four-wheels-is-all-electric

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.IAEA 13 September 2023 Joanne Liou, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication Small modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors. SMRs, which can produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity, are........Small – physically a fraction of the size of a conventional nuclear power reactor........Modular – making it possible for systems and components to be factory-assembled and transported as a unit to a location for installation.........Reactors – harnessing nuclear fission to generate heat to produce energy.  

Advantages of SMRs...... Many of the benefits of SMRs are inherently linked to the nature of their design – small and modular. Given their smaller footprint, SMRs can be sited on locations not suitable for larger nuclear power plants. Prefabricated units of SMRs can be manufactured and then shipped and installed on site, making them more affordable to build than large power reactors, which are often custom designed for a particular location, sometimes leading to construction delays. SMRs offer savings in cost and construction time, and they can be deployed incrementally to match increasing energy demand. 

One of the challenges to accelerating access to energy is infrastructure – limited grid coverage in rural areas – and the costs of grid connection for rural electrification. A single power plant should represent no more than 10 per cent of the total installed grid capacity. In areas lacking sufficient lines of transmission and grid capacity, SMRs can be installed into an existing grid or remotely off-grid, as a function of its smaller electrical output, providing low-carbon power for industry and the population. This is particularly relevant for microreactors, which are a subset of SMRs designed to generate electrical power typically up to 10 MW(e). Microreactors have smaller footprints than other SMRs and will be better suited for regions inaccessible to clean, reliable and affordable energy. Furthermore, microreactors could serve as a backup power supply in emergency situations or replace power generators that are often fuelled by diesel, for example, in rural communities or remote businesses. In comparison to existing reactors, proposed SMR designs are generally simpler, and the safety concept for SMRs often relies more on passive systems and inherent safety characteristics of the reactor, such as low power and operating pressure. This means that in such cases no human intervention or external power or force is required to shut down systems, because passive systems rely on physical phenomena, such as natural circulation, convection, gravity and self-pressurization.

These increased safety margins, in some cases, eliminate or significantly lower the potential for unsafe releases of radioactivity to the environment and the public in case of an accident. SMRs have reduced fuel requirements. Power plants based on SMRs may require less frequent refuelling, every 3 to 7 years, in comparison to between 1 and 2 years for conventional plants. Some SMRs are designed to operate for up to 30 years without refuelling......read on         https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-are-small-modular-reactors-smrs       Learn more about nuclear fission and energy.