NEW DELHI: India has the potential to develop about 102 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of floating solar energy, leveraging its vast network of waterbodies across the country. This was revealed in a report titled 'Solar PV Potential of India: Floating Solar', the first-ever assessment of the country's capacity to install solar plants on reservoirs and lakes.
Government Plans Policy and Timeline
Releasing the report on Wednesday, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi announced that the government would soon introduce a policy and a timeline for deploying floating solar projects. He emphasized that reservoirs and other waterbodies have emerged as crucial assets for clean energy generation, and the ministry is working on a dedicated scheme for the sector.
New and Renewable Energy Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi added that the ministry is in discussions with the finance ministry on schemes to promote floating solar and agrivoltaics, both segments with significant growth potential.
Report Findings and State-wise Potential
The report, prepared by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous body under the ministry, estimates India's total solar energy potential at 3,445 GWp, including 102 GWp from floating solar. This adds to the previously assessed land-based solar potential of 3,343 GWp. India's current installed solar power capacity is nearly 158 GW, with only about 600 MW from floating solar projects.
The top five states with the highest floating solar potential are:
- Maharashtra: 16.3 GWp
- Andhra Pradesh: 14.9 GWp
- Karnataka: 13.7 GWp
- Odisha: 12.8 GWp
- Telangana: 10.7 GWp
NISE mapped 11,197 waterbodies, identifying 682 as technically feasible for floating solar, covering nearly 1,946 square kilometers of reservoir area. The assessment considered waterbodies with depths of 3 to 30 meters and locations within 10 kilometers of road networks and transmission substations. However, the report did not estimate the investment required to develop the 102 GWp potential.
Additional Initiatives
Minister Joshi also launched an online portal for the small hydro power development scheme, aiming to enhance transparency and efficiency. Furthermore, NISE and the Military Engineering Services exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote solar energy adoption across defense establishments. Under this collaboration, NISE will provide technical support for planning, implementation, and monitoring of renewable energy projects.
These initiatives reflect the government's commitment to harnessing natural resources sustainably and efficiently while accelerating India's clean energy transition.
