India's Floating Solar Potential Estimated at 102 GWp

NEW DELHI: India has the potential to develop about 102 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of floating solar energy, given the large number of waterbodies spread across the country.

Releasing a report titled ‘Solar PV Potential of India: Floating Solar’, the first-ever assessment of the country's potential to deploy solar plants on reservoirs and lakes, minister for new and renewable energy Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday that the govt would soon come out with a policy and a timeline for its deployment.

New and renewable energy secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi also said the ministry was in discussions with the finance ministry on schemes to promote floating solar and agrivoltaics, two segments with significant growth potential.

The report has been prepared by National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous body under the ministry of new and renewable energy.

NISE had last year carried out a similar assessment of India's land-based solar energy potential and estimated it at 3,343 GWp. With the addition of floating solar, the country's total solar energy potential now stands at 3,445 GWp.

India's installed solar power capacity is currently nearly 158 GW, including only 600 MW of floating solar projects.

According to the report, Maharashtra (16.3 GWp), Andhra Pradesh (14.9 GWp), Karnataka (13.7 GWp), Odisha (12.8 GWp) and Telangana (10.7 GWp) are the top five states with the highest potential for floating solar projects due to their large number of waterbodies.

While NISE mapped 11,197 waterbodies during the assessment, it identified 682 as technically feasible for floating solar projects, covering nearly 1,946 sq km of reservoir area.

The assessment considered waterbodies with depths of 3-30 metres and locations within 10 km of road networks and transmission substations.

The report, however, did not estimate the investment required to develop the 102 GWp floating solar potential.

Joshi said reservoirs and other waterbodies had emerged as important assets for clean energy generation through floating solar projects and that the ministry was working on a dedicated scheme for the sector.

He added that these initiatives reflected the govt's commitment to harnessing natural resources in a sustainable and efficient manner while accelerating India's clean energy transition.

The minister also launched the online portal for the small hydro power development scheme, saying it would enhance transparency and efficiency in implementation.

On the occasion, NISE and Military Engineering Services exchanged an MoU to strengthen the adoption of solar energy across defence establishments.

Under the collaboration, NISE will provide technical support for the planning, implementation and monitoring of renewable energy projects.