AMPIN Energy Transition examines the emerging opportunities for Floating Solar in India

Opportunities for Floating Solar in India

India, with its vast number of man-made reservoirs, presents a significant opportunity for harnessing floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) technology. These reservoirs, crucial for irrigation, hydroelectric power, water supply, and navigation, often face high evaporation losses due to the country’s prevalent high temperatures and arid conditions. The Central Water Commission (CWC) estimates that evaporation losses from these water bodies range from 1.5 meters to 3.0 meters annually per square kilometre. This highlights the potential for FSPV to serve a dual purpose—generating clean energy while mitigating water loss through evaporation.

A recent report prepared under the Indo-German Technical Cooperation on Innovative Solar (IN Solar) estimates that the inland still water bodies in India have the technical potential to support up to 206.7 GWp of floating solar PV capacity. To determine this potential, the team analysed GIS-based data for all water bodies in India, referencing the Copernicus Programme by the European Commission. They filtered the data to include only those water bodies with usable areas greater than 0.015 square kilometres and consistent water availability for 12 months and excluded protected zones. Additionally, only water bodies with global horizontal irradiance (GHI) of more than 3 kWh/m² per day and a distance of less than 25 km from a 132 kV substation were considered.

The study identified a total of 3,101 square kilometres of suitable water body area. Madhya Pradesh stands out as the state with the highest floating solar potential, estimated at 40,117 MWp, followed by Maharashtra at 32,076 MWp. The initiative is part of a project guided by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), with Ernst and Young LLP (EY LLP), CSTEP, and Fraunhofer ISE (Germany) as partners. The project aims to explore the potential of innovative solar applications that minimize land use and contribute to India’s ambitious solar energy expansion goals.

This development could significantly reduce water evaporation from reservoirs while simultaneously advancing India’s renewable energy sector, providing an efficient and sustainable solution to both energy and water conservation challenges.

Figure-2

State wise Estimated Potential | Source TERI Analysis

While the floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) technology has significant potential in India, there is currently limited data on its long-term viability and performance. This lack of data raises concerns about the ability to scale the technology effectively across the country. To fully capitalize on the benefits of FSPV, it is crucial to focus on creating local expertise and conducting thorough monitoring of initial projects. These pilot projects will offer valuable insights into the technology’s long-term impact, allowing for the development of standards and guidelines for future projects.

The study emphasizes the importance of learning from early installations to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with FSPV. The insights gathered from these projects can be used to refine processes, improve efficiency, and establish best practices. Moreover, based on the data collected, the study aims to assess the difficulty levels of setting up FSPV projects at different locations and rank them into three priority categories: Priority I, Priority II, and Priority III.

• Characteristics: These are locations where the conditions are most favourable for installing FSPV plants, requiring the least amount of additional technical know-how or infrastructure development.
• Ease of Installation: These sites are considered relatively easy to install, as they align closely with the existing capabilities and knowledge available in the market today.
• Minimal Technical Barriers: These areas are expected to have minimal technical challenges or obstacles, such as shallow depths, favorable solar radiation, and proximity to grid infrastructure.
• Focus: Priority I locations are essentially low-risk, quick-to-deploy sites, which can serve as the initial testing grounds for FSPV technology.

• Characteristics: Locations that present moderate challenges in terms of installation and require a greater level of technical expertise or customized solutions.
• Installation Complexity: These sites may face some logistical or technical difficulties, such as deeper waters or more complex environmental conditions, but are still manageable with existing technology and knowledge.
• Moderate Technical Barriers: These areas may require some adjustments or specialized solutions to ensure successful implementation, but they are still feasible for FSPV projects.

• Characteristics: These locations are the most challenging in terms of installation, requiring significant technical innovation or specialized solutions to address obstacles.
• Installation Complexity: These sites may have deep waters, difficult environmental conditions, or significant distance from necessary infrastructure, making them complex and costly to develop.
• High Technical Barriers: FSPV installations in Priority III locations may face significant engineering challenges, and it may be necessary to develop new technologies or adapt existing solutions to make the projects viable.

By ranking the sites into these three priority categories, the study aims to streamline the process of selecting optimal locations for FSPV installations. This prioritization allows for focusing efforts on the easiest and most cost-effective sites first (Priority I), while gradually advancing to more complex and technically demanding locations (Priority II and III). The insights gained from implementing FSPV in Priority I locations can inform the approach for more challenging locations in the future, thus accelerating the adoption of this technology across the country.

India’s Largest Floating Solar Project

To harness the potential of solar electricity, the government is now bringing the spotlight on solar power plants on water bodies. India has many floating solar power projects, including those in Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and Chandigarh. India’s largest Floating Solar Project is Omkareshwar Floating Solar Power, with 600 MW targeted capacity at the estimated cost of 3000 crores, located in Madhya Pradesh.

The Omkareshwar Floating Solar Project, is the world’s largest floating solar power plant. Spanning an impressive 1,631 acres, the project has already commissioned 287 MW of capacity. This includes contributions from AMPIN Energy Transition (140 MWp, with COD on June 7, 2024), NHDC (88 MW, with COD on October 29, 2024), and SJVN (90 MW, with COD on August 8, 2024).

AMPIN has distinguished itself by being the first IPP to commission its part of the project ahead of the scheduled timeframe in just 12 months. The project uses cutting-edge technology while being committed to promoting local manufacturing & sustainability. It features Tier-1 545 Wp Mono-PERC modules and Tier-1 5000 kVA inverters with approximately 936,860 floaters accommodating around 260,400 solar panels across the reservoir. These floaters, crafted from HDPE plastics with UV-resistant materials, have been manufactured locally in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, fostering regional economic development and strengthening the local supply chain.

Located on the Narmada River in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, the project will help prevent 38,61,194 metric tons of CO2 emissions throughout the 25-year plant lifecycle, which is equivalent to 62,292,752 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. According to government reports, the floating solar panels will prevent the evaporation of 60% to 70% of the water beneath, which is comparable to the drinking water supply for the residents of Bhopal for 124 days.