Tata Power has entered into a collaboration agreement with Norway-based renewable energy technology company Ocean Sun to deploy a 300 kWp floating solar pilot project at Tata Power’s Mulshi reservoir in Maharashtra. The partnership was formalised on the sidelines of the 2nd India–EFTA Prosperity Summit.
The pilot will evaluate Ocean Sun’s proprietary membrane-based floating solar technology under Indian conditions, with a focus on its performance, reliability, cost competitiveness and scalability. The project is also expected to generate practical operating insights that could support the future deployment of the technology in India.
Unlike conventional floating solar systems that generally use interconnected pontoon structures, Ocean Sun’s technology places photovoltaic modules on a thin, hydro-elastic membrane that floats directly on the water surface. The lightweight design is intended to simplify transportation and installation while reducing structural requirements.
The proximity of the solar modules to the water surface may also provide a cooling effect, which could potentially support improved generation performance.
As part of the pilot, Tata Power will compare the membrane-based system with conventional floating solar solutions across several parameters, including energy generation, capacity utilisation factor (CUF), installation methodology and time, reliability, operations and maintenance requirements, capital cost and overall commercial viability.
The project comes against the backdrop of India’s significant potential for floating solar deployment. According to estimates from the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), India has more than 102 GWp of floating solar potential. Floating solar can complement ground-mounted and rooftop installations while making use of available water surfaces for renewable power generation.
Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Power, said the pilot would help generate operating insights and assess the technology’s potential to deliver reliable, scalable and cost-effective clean power solutions.
Kristian Tørvold, CEO of Ocean Sun, highlighted India’s attractiveness as a floating solar market while noting the complexity of operating in the country. He said Tata Power’s experience and local market understanding would be important to the partnership.
The 300 kWp Mulshi project will therefore serve primarily as a technology-validation initiative. Its findings on performance, installation, O&M and economics could help determine the potential for wider adoption of membrane-based floating solar technology in India.
