Towards a best practice guide for implementing floating PV plants on dam reservoirs

In France, an increasing number of FPV projects on dam reservoirs are being developed, sometimes raising important safety and regulatory concerns. Because FPV technology is still evolving, there are no fully established technical standards, making it difficult to assess reliability and compliance with dam safety requirements. Some projects may not meet expected safety levels, particularly regarding flood evacuation systems, fire hazards, and overall risk management. Engineers sometimes apply inconsistent or excessive design criteria, causing difficulties in demonstrating risk control to maintain dam safety levels. This makes the development process complex for both FPV developers and dam operators, as well as authorities. To address these challenges, the French Committee on Large Dams (CFBR) has created a working group to clarify administrative procedures, define the state-of-the-art of FPV technologies, propose suitable design criteria, and develop a risk analysis approach for evaluating FPV installations on dams safely and effectively.