Noria Energy Builds Colorado Floating Solar Project with New Tracking Technology
SAUSALITO, Calif., Aug. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Noria Energy, a floating solar developer and technology provider, is beginning construction on Aurea Solar, a 50 kW floating solar pilot project in Golden, CO that will provide renewable energy for local water utility operations. Built with Noria’s newly developed floating solar tracker technology, AquaPhi®, the project is located on Fairmount Reservoir, a water storage reservoir owned and operated by Consolidated Mutual Water Company (CMWC). Floating solar offers a cost-effective, space-saving way to generate clean energy, especially for water utilities managing large reservoirs. As demand for energy and water grows nationwide, this technology turns existing water infrastructure into energy-producing assets and also conserves water by reducing evaporation. The Golden, CO project is the first in the U.S. to demonstrate scalable, high-performance tracking on water — offering a new frontier for solar deployment in the country. Using Noria’s AquaPhi® technology, the pilot with CMWC will power onsite pumps used to regulate water supply in the reservoir. Today’s conventional floating solar systems are static and do not track the sun. AquaPhi® allows floating solar systems to track the sun across the sky, by rotating the solar islands, increasing the system’s energy output by 10-20%. It is easy for installers or asset managers to deploy, and it can be added to any floating solar project – including as a retrofit to existing projects to boost their performance as well. CMWC sees the potential of floating solar as a solution for both energy and water conservation. “We are excited to embark on the prospects of floating solar as a means to not only produce and conserve energy, but also to improve our water supply by reducing how much is lost to evaporation,” said Jarod Roberts — CMWC’s Chief of Water Resources. Noria is building the project in partnership with GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit leader in renewable energy access, workforce development, and community empowerment, as well as Hazelett Marine, a leader in mooring solutions for floating solar. These partners bring valuable engineering and installation expertise, local solar jobs and training, and reliable technology for ensuring system integrity and stability on the reservoir. “We couldn’t be more excited to work with our partners CMWC, GRID Alternatives, and Hazelett to deploy our powerful technology that helps make clean energy more accessible to more customers,” said Noria CEO Ron Stimmel. The 50 kW project is scheduled for commissioning in September 2025 and will support CMWC’s mission to deliver clean, safe, and reliable water to over 100,000 customers in the greater Denver area – while also demonstrating the potential of floating solar tracking systems nationwide. About Noria EnergyFounded in 2018 and headquartered in Sausalito, CA, Noria Energy is a pioneer and leader in the rapidly growing floating solar industry in both project development and technology R&D. Noria develops floating solar and other solar projects to serve a variety of customer segments, including hydropower, water utility & water treatment, agriculture, community solar programs, mining, and other commercial and industrial customers to help accelerate the transition to clean energy. Noria is passionate about renewable energy technologies and their positive impact on the environment. For more information, visit https://noriaenergy.com. Media ContactConnie ZhangMC2connie@missionc2.com
BASF helps create a one-of-a-kind floating solar panel system
Joint News Release :BASF and Noria Energy install first of its kind floating solar system at BASF’s manufacturing site in the United States Proof-of-concept system is fully operational at BASF’s McIntosh, Alabama production facility The new floating solar system designed and constructed by Noria Energy uses plastic additives produced at BASF’s McIntosh site to prevent degradation of pontoons As part of its sustainability goal of achieving net zero CO2 emissions1 by 2050, BASF has installed an innovative proof-of-concept floating solar system at its McIntosh, Alabama manufacturing site. Noria Energy’s first of its kind floating solar system uses renewable energy to power three aerators used to improve the water quality of a scenic pond at the production facility. Floating solar energy capture offers several advantages beyond those of regular land-based solar systems including better operating efficiency due to cooler, more consistent temperatures from the surrounding water. However, the additional design and construction variables of floating solar systems typically come with a higher capital cost. Previous attempts to lower installation costs have reduced the reliability of the system when exposed to the environment. In particular, exposure to intense sunlight leads to degradation and unpredictable failure of traditional pontoons over time. BASF’s plastic additives business is collaborating with Noria Energy to address these challenges by developing a highly reliable, innovative pontoon design at a lower cost. The final product leverages BASF’s broad portfolio of light stabilizers – which include UV absorbers and Hindered Amine Light Stabilizers (HALS) – that protect the polymer against degradation of harmful UV light. “The additives and antioxidants used for the pontoons and produced at our McIntosh site improve durability and extend the lifetime of the systems,” said Marcus Pezent, McIntosh Site Director, BASF. “We set out to develop an innovative floating solar system to drastically reduce capital requirements, including logistical costs. Working with BASF was instrumental in getting the system from concept to pilot installation in under a year, and a true testament to BASF’s commitment to their carbon-neutral goals,” said Alex Mayer, Chief Technology Officer at Noria Energy. The pilot unit was installed with the support of the BASF North America Energy Management team who is already exploring additional locations for large scale floating installations at different BASF manufacturing sites. “These types of game-changing renewable energy initiatives reinforce our commitment to a sustainable future,” added Tejuana Edmond, Vice President, Plastic Additives Americas, BASF. “We will continue to work with our customers to help address their needs and challenges through innovation and sustainable solutions.”
Noria Energy is American Solar Prize Finalist
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office announced the 20 teams selected to advance to the semifinal stage of the multi-million dollar American-Made Solar Prize Round 6. The American-Made Solar Prize is a multimillion-dollar competition funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and designed to promote solar innovation in the United States through a series of contests. The program includes three prize competitions, called the Ready!, Set!, and Go! contests. In the Ready! contest teams focus on innovative ideas that will address a solar industry technology need, proving that they have developed a great team, a game-changing solution, and a plan. In the Set! contest, teams begin developing and demonstrating early-stage proofs-of-concept. And in the Go! contest teams try to prove that their solutions work, and they must show substantial progress throughout the contests. work and they have made substantial progress over the course of the contests. In April, the DOE announced the 20 finalist teams chosen after they pitched their concepts for during Set! Demo Day events. In September, Round 5 finalists were announced. The semifinalists in Round 6 will each receive $50,000 in cash. In addition, two teams were awarded a $25,000 bonus cash prize for their participation in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) contest, which seeks solutions that enable underserved communities to overcome systemic barriers to solar deployment. The semifinalists in Round 6 who will move on in the competition are: Photovoltaics (PV) Systems Integration Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (CSP) Finance and Business Models System Operations System Design These teams will go on to compete in the next round of the competition, which will end in April 2023. Learn more about the American-Made Solar Prize.
Reducing Green Algae With Green Energy
If you make your way to the west end of the Arboretum from early February through May this year, you will find a new addition to the waterway — a floating, solar-powered aerator installation funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. It’s the result of a research and development collaboration between UC Davis’ Global Ecology and Sustainability Lab, Wild Energy Initiative, solar developers at Noria Energy and the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. The 700 sq. ft. floating solar aeration system represents a low-cost, clean energy solution for water treatment designed to circulate the surrounding water and prevent algae build up. Along with monitoring the technical operations, researchers will be studying the effects of the system on water quality. They will measure temperature and dissolved oxygen underneath and around the floating solar island before, during, and after the system installation, in addition to measuring nitrate and chlorophyll concentrations to better understand impacts on algae growth in the water. This system was carefully designed and positioned so it will not interfere with the primary flood control function of the Arboretum Waterway. This pilot system is the first phase of a larger initiative by Noria Energy to integrate water treatment equipment into large, megawatt-scale floating solar installations. The findings from this project, including the results of the water quality impact study, will be used to improve the utility of floating solar systems and highlight their environmental benefits to help grow renewable energy deployment in the United States. The evolution of this partnership is one to be celebrated. It is through a UC Davis Learning by Leading™ Waterway Stewardship intern Emil Rodriguez, who also works in the Global Ecology and Sustainability Lab, that the connection was made between the research partners and the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. This project brings together the teaching, research, and environmental stewardship goals of the Arboretum and Public Garden and is one of the many examples of private-public partnerships at the university that provide benefits for UC Davis and the greater community.
