Iberdrola has announced that it will construct its first floating PV facility in Brazil. Iberdrola’s subsidiary, Neoenergia, will construct the solar project at the Xaréu dam on the island of Fernando de Noronha. The project will expense $2.1 million and will include almost 940 solar panels.
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Acwa Power, a Saudi energy company, has been awarded a contract to construct two floating solar photovoltaic (PV) power projects from Indonesia’s state-owned utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). The agreement covers the 50 MWac floating solar project Singkarak in addition to the 60 MWac Saguling project.
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Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has floated bids to build, own, and operate 30 MW of ground mounted and floating solar projects in Sri Lanka. The capacities in the project would range from 1 MW to 5 MW for a period of 20 years. The scope of the project includes assessment of environmental impacts of proposed solar power projects and obtaining all necessary environmental clearances and approvals from the authorities in accordance with Central Environmental Authority guidelines.
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In order to develop the usage of floating solar parks in the sea and integrate them into an offshore wind farm to build a multi-source renewable energy project, the German sustainable energy company RWE and offshore solar energy developer SolarDuck have signed a collaboration agreement. In its proposal for the Dutch offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust West (HKW VII) for system integration, RWE selected SolarDuck as the sole supplier of offshore floating solar technology with integrated storage.
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Floating solar could be a valuable tool to help African nations expand their power infrastructure sustainably, according to a new study and an energy expert. If panels covered 1% of reservoirs, this alone could double African hydropower capacity and increase electricity generation from dams by 50%. But unknowns remain, such as the impacts on water quality and technical challenges including the impact of bird fouling and corrosion.
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Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), Mozambique’s state-owned power company, has invited bids from consultancy firms to conduct feasibility studies for the development of a floating solar project in the Chicamba dam in the Manica province of Mozambique. The scope of work comprises preparing a technical and financial feasibility report for a floating solar project. The bid submission deadline is January 28, 2022.
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Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited has signed an agreement with Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Limited (GEDCOL) to form a joint venture (JV) for setting up 500 MW floating solar power projects in Odisha. The equity shareholding of NHPC and GEDCOL in the proposed JV will be in the proportion of 74:26.
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Scotra, a local South Korean floating PV company, successfully finished a 41 MW floating solar installation for Korea Water Resources. The facility is located on a reservoir of the Hapcheon Dam in Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The installation is the country’s largest floating PV plant to date.
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Important solar markets in the region with large installed solar capacities after Vietnam are Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines with 2,988 MW, 1,493 MW and 1,048 MW of installed capacities respectively. In addition, Singapore (329 MW) and Indonesia (172 MW) are emerging as other attractive destinations for solar investments with many large and small projects under development.
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The world’s reportedly largest hydro-floating solar hybrid project, built by EGAT at Sirindhorn Dam has begun commercial operation. The 45 MW Hydro-Floating Solar Hybrid Project at Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani Province began commercial operation on October 31, 2021. It will also become a new tourism attraction for the province of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand in early 2022.
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Morocco’s first floating photovoltaic power plant is set to be installed in the region of Sidi Slimane in the coming weeks. The plant will be the first of its kind in Africa, and it will be built by Energy Handle, a company that specialises in renewable and green energy, and will use photovoltaic technology. The plant is expected to produce 360 KW in its initial phase, with a total yearly production of roughly 644 MWh, with 800 panels.
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The government of the Navarra region of Spain has given its approval for a 160 MW solar project planned by Anpier, the national association of photovoltaic energy producers. The facility will be installed on one of the country’s largest artificial irrigation canals, the Canal of Navarra. According to the report, the proposed project is technically and financially viable because it would significantly reduce shadowing.
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Indonesia will begin construction on a 145 MW floating solar power plant, estimated to be the biggest in Southeast Asia. National power provider Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) and UAE-based Masdar have agreed on the financing for the project.
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Energy systems around the world must transition to renewable and clean energy sources and experience significant changes, owing to a combination of technology advancements, the need for affordable energy sources, and the compelling need to combat climate change. In this regard, the world’s oceans are a source of abundant renewable energy, which can be tapped through offshore wind (with fixed and floating foundations, or airborne), floating solar photovoltaics and other emerging ocean energy technologies.
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Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind have formed a collaboration to build floating wind projects off the coast of Scotland. The firms, who are already partners in California, the United States, and South Korea, will now work together in the Scotland leasing phase. The two firms will make a joint proposal to Crown Estate Scotland by July 16th, 2021.
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FPV systems may play a significant role in RE deployment in the region, while providing additional economic, societal, and environmental benefits. Recent work has identified the potential benefits of FPV systems to include lower land acquisition and site preparation costs, improved solar PV performance, and reduced capital costs when FPV is co-located with hydropower. Despite growing interest in and literature on FPV systems, the understanding of the policy landscape, including the opportunities and barriers to FPV deployment, remains limited.
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Researchers at the European Commission’s Joint Research Center have assessed the potential of installing floating solar plants on 146 hydropower reservoirs in Africa. They concluded that, in addition to increasing installed capacity, the plants also reduce water evaporation, allowing for increased annual hydropower production.
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Portugal announced that it would conduct its third solar auction in September as it looks to allocate 500 MW of floating solar capacity. Through the current tender, which resulted in record-low prices, the country aims to support the deployment of floating solar on at least seven reservoirs through its next tender process. The proposed plants will be located next to hydropower plants so that existing grid infrastructure can be used. One of the selected dams, Alto Rabagão, already hosts a 220 kWp floating solar pilot project developed by EDP.
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Dust and soils have negative impacts on the efficiency of PV panels. Therefore, the importance of cleaning PV panels is considerable from both economic and performance points of view. A key factor to maximizing the economic advantage is the determination of cleaning times. There is no specified cleaning cycle for PV panels, and the soiling rate of the region mostly determines the cleaning frequency.
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Sunseap Group has signed a contract with Facebook to supply power from its 5 MWp offshore floating solar project located in the Straits of Johor in Singapore. According to a recent announcement by the company, this will be the largest offshore floating solar farm in Singapore on completion.
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