Indonesia recently got the prototype of a marine floating solar power plant, writes Offshore Energy. The project called Solar2Wave is a milestone in developing solar energy in Indonesia, which has successfully overcome previous obstacles such as uncontrolled waves, bad weather conditions, demanding maintenance, and unpredictable operating costs. This is precisely why previous projects of this type were limited to lakes and reservoirs.
The prototype, with a total power of 25KW, consists of six monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels with a combined capacity of 600W and a battery for energy storage.
Mochamad Ashari from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology said that it is necessary to maximize the field of application of floating solar power plants and expand them to the sea to make the country less dependent on energy obtained from fossil fuels in the future.
Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency has recognized floating solar panels as a significant opportunity for the country’s decarbonization. The calm maritime territory, which spans as much as 708,000 square kilometers, is ideal for expanding floating solar power plants in Indonesia, writes Business Indonesia.
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Other Asian countries also see an opportunity for floating solar power plants
Some of the largest floating solar power plants are located in Asian countries. These countries combine their two natural assets – lots of sun and water – to produce electricity.
In 2021, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) installed solar panels on the water surface of the EGAT Dam. This massive installation, which covers 720,000 square meters, allowed the country to use hybrid technology for electricity production for the first time. During the day, green kilowatts from solar panels generate electricity, while at night, hydroelectric power is used.
Floating solar power projects are also becoming more popular in India, which will receive over 1,000MW worth of new floating solar power projects by the end of 2024. Fortune India reports that the country’s goal is to reach 500GW produced from renewable energy sources by late 2030.
The largest floating solar farm in the world is located in China. With an installed capacity of 320MW and 8 MWh of storage capacity, this power plant produces 550 million KWh of electricity annually.
