Many floating solar projects are already in use while others are either under construction or in view. There is an obvious turn out on the use of floating solar PV due to its benefits and possibilities in the achievement of a zero-carbon net emission plan globally amidst other benefits like non-usage of land use and water conservation attributes.
The biggest Floating solar power plant already in use is in China. It is worthy of note that China and India altogether occupy the position of six out of the world’s top ten floating solar projects in various stages of development while South Korea accounts for two in the said top ten.
Here are the top ten Floating solar PV farms according to Power Technology:
1. Saemangeum floating solar energy project – 2.1GW
This floating solar energy project is still under construction and development and it is located on the Yellow sea coast at Saemangeum, South Korea. It is the world’s biggest floating solar farm with about 2.1GW power capacity.
2. Omkareshwar Dam floating solar farm – 600MW
The 600MW floating solar energy farm is still in view and will be built at the Omkareshwar dam located in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is projected to cost around Rs30bn ($409.86m).
3. Hangzhou Fengling Electricity Science Technology’s solar farm - 320MW
A 320MW floating solar PV plant with two phases capacity, the first is 200MW which was completed in 2017, and the other is 120MW which was completed in 2020. It is located on the Changhe and Zhouxiang reservoirs in Cixi, China’s Zhejiang province which was developed by Hangzhou Fengling Electricity Science Technology. Notably, this project combines solar power and aquaculture operations.
4. Three Gorges New Energy’s floating solar farm - 150MW
The 150MW floating solar PV project is also located in China, the Huainan City in China’s eastern province of Anhui. It is constructed on a lake formerly used for coal mining which is
meant to power up to 94,000 houses. It was developed by Three Gorges.
5. Cirata Reservoir floating photovoltaic (PV) power project – 145MW
The 145MW Cirata floating PV farm project is still in view and will be constructed at a 225ha area on the Cirata Reservoir in Indonesia’s West Java Region. When completed, this will be the biggest floating solar farm in South East Asia and also the first floating solar power plant in Indonesia.
6. NTPC Kayamkulam solar project – 105MW
A 105MW floating solar PV project will be developed on a reservoir of the National Thermal Power Corporation located at Kayamkulam in Allappuzha, Kerala, India. It will be handled by Tata Power Solar.
7. NTPC Ramagundam solar power plant – 100MW
BHEL, a public sector company in India will be developing the 100MW floating solar farm at NTPC Ramagundam in Telangana, India which is still under projection. The project will be accomplished with an estimated investment of Rs4.32bn ($56.78m).
8. CECEP’s floating solar project – 70MW
Located in Anhui, China, the 70MW floating solar farm started work in 2019 and it is located in Anhui, China Owned by China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP).
9. Sembcorp’s Tuas floating solar project – 60MW
Sembcorp was awarded to build the projected 60MW floating solar plant which will be developed on Tengeh Reservoir in Tuas, Singapore.
10. Hapcheon Dam floating PV power plant – 41MW
The 41MW floating solar power project was awarded to Q CELLS in 2020 by the Korea Water Resources Institute. It will be constructed at South Korea’s Hapcheon Dam.
