Norway’s Ocean Sun to bring floating solar technology to India
The collaboration between Ocean Sun and India’s Tata Power will see the two companies undertake a 300 kWp floating solar pilot at Tata Power’s Mulshi reservoir to evaluate Ocean Sun’s membrane-based floating solar technology under Indian conditions.
Norway-based renewable energy technology company Ocean Sun is partnering with India’s Tata Power to bring its membrane-based floating solar technology to India.
The collaboration will see Tata Power and Ocean Sun undertake a ~300 kWp floating solar pilot at Tata Power’s Mulshi reservoir in Maharashtra. The pilot will evaluate Ocean Sun’s proprietary membrane-based floating solar technology for performance, reliability, cost competitiveness and scalability under Indian conditions, while generating practical operating insights for potential future deployment, Tata Power said in a press release.
The ~300 kWp pilot will enable Tata Power to evaluate Ocean Sun’s technology against conventional floating solar solutions across key parameters, including energy generation, capacity utilisation factor (CUF), installation methodology and time, reliability, operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements, capital cost and overall commercial viability.
Ocean Sun’s technology deploys solar PV modules on a thin, hydro-elastic membrane that floats directly on the water surface. The lightweight design has the potential to simplify transportation and installation while reducing structural requirements. The close proximity of the PV modules to the water surface may also provide a cooling effect, which could contribute to improved generation performance, the press release said.
“Our collaboration with Ocean Sun reflects our commitment to bringing advanced global technologies to India and evaluating their potential in real-world conditions,” said Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power. “Through this floating solar pilot, we aim to generate valuable operating insights and assess its potential to deliver reliable, scalable and cost-effective clean power solutions.”
“India is one of the world’s most attractive floating solar markets, but it is also a large and complex market where local execution capabilities are essential. Tata Power brings the experience, capabilities and market understanding required to navigate that complexity,” said Kristian Tørvold, CEO, Ocean Sun. “We are therefore particularly pleased to establish this collaboration and to work together on the floating solar project.”
