Floating solar Power plant and its advantages, the First Floating solar power plant in India and in the world, the largest Floating solar power plant in India and in the world – we all discuss these in this post.

Floating solar power plant

A floating solar power plant, also known as a floating solar farm or floating photovoltaic (PV) system, is a type of solar energy installation where solar panels are mounted on floating structures placed on bodies of water. These structures are designed to support and protect the solar panels while allowing them to float on the water’s surface.

Concept of Floating Solar Power Plant

The concept behind a floating solar power plant is similar to traditional solar farms, where sunlight is converted into electricity using photovoltaic cells. However, by deploying solar panels on water bodies, several advantages can be achieved:

1. Efficient land use: Floating solar power plants allow the utilization of underutilized water surfaces, reducing the need for large areas of land typically required for ground-mounted solar installations. This is particularly beneficial in areas where land availability is limited or expensive.
2. Water conservation: The shade provided by the floating solar panels reduces evaporation from the water surface, helping to conserve water resources. It can also help prevent algae growth and reduce the growth of invasive aquatic plants.
3. Enhanced performance: The cooling effect of water helps to maintain lower temperatures around the solar panels, which can improve their overall efficiency. This is because solar panel efficiency decreases as temperatures rise, so the cooler environment can lead to increased energy production.
4. Reduced transmission losses: By installing floating solar plants closer to urban areas or industrial centres, electricity transmission losses can be minimized since the generated power doesn’t have to travel long distances.
5. Reduced environmental impact: Floating solar installations have a smaller environmental footprint compared to other forms of energy generation, such as fossil fuel power plants. They produce clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and have minimal impact on ecosystems when properly designed and managed.

Advantages and Benefits of Floating Solar Power Plant

Floating solar power plants offer several advantages and benefits:

1. Efficient use of space: Floating solar installations utilize the surface area of bodies of water, such as reservoirs, lakes, ponds, and even the ocean, for solar energy generation. This allows for the efficient use of space, particularly in areas where land availability is limited or costly.
2. Water conservation: The shade provided by the floating solar panels reduces water evaporation from the water surface, helping to conserve water resources. It can also prevent the growth of algae and mitigate the loss of water through evaporation.
3. Enhanced performance: The cooling effect of the water helps maintain lower temperatures around the solar panels, improving their overall efficiency. Solar panel efficiency decreases as temperatures rise, so a more relaxed environment can increase energy production.
4. Reduced environmental impact: Floating solar power plants have a smaller environmental footprint than traditional ground-mounted solar installations. They utilize existing bodies of water without needing land clearing, minimizing the disruption of natural habitats.
5. Potential for dual land use: By deploying solar panels on water bodies, land resources can be conserved for other purposes like agriculture, conservation, or urban development.
6. Reduced transmission losses: Floating solar installations can be situated closer to demand centres, reducing the need for long-distance electricity transmission. This can help minimize energy losses during transmission.

Largest Floating Solar Power Plant in the world

The largest solar farm in the world in 2022 is the Dezhou Dingzhuang Floating Solar Farm in Dezhou, China. Coming in at 320 MW, it is the biggest floating PV project recently brought online. Completed by Beijing electric company Huaneng Power International (HPI), the project is located in a reservoir in Shandong—an eastern province of China on the Yellow Sea.
The Dezhou Dingzhuang Floating Solar Farm is connected to 8 MWh of battery storage and a 100 MW wind farm, with all of these components working together to make up the Huaneng Dezhou Dingzhuang Integrated Wind and Solar Energy Storage project. The floating solar farm project was constructed in two phases, with capacities of 200 MW and 120 MW, respectively, comprising 320 MW. The 8 MWh of energy storage capacity was also deployed during the first construction phase. According to HPI, the facility will generate around 550 million kWh of electricity annually.

Largest Floating Solar Power Plant in India

India’s largest floating Solar Power Project is now fully operational. NTPC announced the Commercial Operation of the final part capacity of 20 MW out of 100 MW Ramagundam Floating Solar PV Project at Ramagundam, Telangana, from 00:00 hours of July 01, 2022.

With the operationalization of the 100-MW Solar PV Project at Ramagundam, the total commercial operation of Floating Solar Capacity in the Southern Region rose to 217 MW. Earlier, NTPC declared Commercial operation of 92 MW Floating Solar at Kayamkulam (Kerala) and 25 MW Floating Solar at Simhadri (Andhra Pradesh), Shri Anand added.
The 100-MW Floating Solar project at Ramagundam is endowed with advanced technology and environment-friendly features. Constructed with a financial implication of Rs. 423 crores through M/s BHEL as an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract, the project spreads over 500 acres of its reservoir. Divided into 40 blocks, each having 2.5 MW. Each block has one floating platform and an array of 11,200 solar modules. The floating platform comprises one Inverter, Transformer, and HT breaker. The solar modules are placed on floaters manufactured with HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) material.
The floating system is anchored through a special HMPE (High Modulus Polyethylene) rope to the dead weights in the balancing reservoir bed. The power is being evacuated to the existing switch yard through 33KV underground cables. This project is unique because all the electrical equipment, including inverter, transformer, HT panel and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), are also on floating ferro cement platforms. The anchoring of this system is bottom anchoring through dead-weight concrete blocks.

From an environmental point of view, the most apparent advantage is the minimum land requirement, primarily for associated evacuation arrangements. Further, with floating solar panels, the evaporation rate from water bodies is reduced, thus helping in water conservation. Approximately 32.5 lakh cubic meters per year of water evaporation can be avoided. The water body underneath the solar modules helps maintain their ambient temperature, improving their efficiency and generation. Similarly, while coal consumption of 1,65,000 Tons can be avoided per year, Co2 emission of 2,10,000 tons per year can be avoided.

First Floating Solar Power Plant in the World

The first floating solar power plant in the world is often credited to the Aichi Prefecture in Japan. The installation, known as the “Yamanaka-ko Solar Floating Power Plant,” began operation in 2007 and was developed by the company Kyocera Corporation.

The Yamanaka-ko Solar Floating Power Plant is located on the Yamanaka Lake, which is a reservoir in the Gifu Prefecture. It consists of 1,914 solar panels mounted on floating platforms, covering an area of about 11,000 square meters (approximately 2.7 acres). The installation has a capacity of 630 kilowatts (kW) and generates approximately 720,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually.

This pioneering project demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of utilizing water surfaces for solar energy generation. Since then, floating solar power plants have gained popularity worldwide, with numerous countries adopting this technology for their renewable energy strategies.

First Floating Solar Power Plant in India

The first floating solar power plant in India is the “Kerala Floating Solar Power Project,” also known as the “Banasura Sagar Floating Solar Power Plant.” It is located on the Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad, Kerala.

The Kerala Floating Solar Power Project was commissioned in December 2017. It was developed by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) in collaboration with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). The project has a capacity of 500 kilowatts (kW) and consists of 1,938 solar panels installed on 18 floating platforms.

The primary objective of the project was to utilize the water surface of the Banasura Sagar reservoir, which is a large man-made lake, for solar energy generation. The floating solar plant helps to conserve land resources and minimizes water evaporation from the reservoir.

The Kerala Floating Solar Power Project serves as a milestone in India’s renewable energy sector, particularly for the development of floating solar installations. Since its successful implementation, several other floating solar projects have been initiated in different parts of the country, demonstrating the growing interest and potential of this technology in India’s clean energy transition.

FAQs on Floating Solar Power Plants

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