Floating solar panels sharply reduce light reaching the seabed in French Polynesia while having no detectable effect on lagoon water temperature |
Floating photovoltaic (FPV) platforms in a French Polynesian lagoon substantially reduced the amount of light reaching the seabed but produced no detectable change in water temperature, according to a year-long study. Researchers monitored four FPV platforms and a control area in the lagoon of Tumaraa on Ra’iātea from August 2024 to September 2025. The platforms…