{"id":76448,"date":"2026-06-11T18:38:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=76448"},"modified":"2026-06-11T18:38:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:08:54","slug":"floating-solar-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-06-2026\/floating-solar-india","title":{"rendered":"Indian Reservoirs can Host 102 GW Floating Solar Capacity: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Renewable Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>India\u2019s reservoirs <\/strong>can host about<strong> 102 gigawatt (GW) of floating solar capacity,<\/strong> according to the first comprehensive national assessment by the <strong>National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Report: Solar PV Potential of India (Floating Solar)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Total FSPV Potential: <\/strong>It estimates India\u2019s total floating solar (FSPV) potential at around 102.18 GW, with a constraint of using<strong> only 20% of the reservoir area.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Region wise Potential: <\/strong>High concentrations in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana and Gujarat, reflecting the availability of large, technically suitable reservoirs and inland water bodies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Complimentary to Ground-mounted PV: <\/strong>Floating solar is a significant and scalable complement to ground-mounted PV in India\u2019s renewable energy portfolio.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water Conservation: <\/strong>FSPV also contributes to water conservation by shading water bodies, thereby reducing evaporation by 30\u201360%. Large scale projects demonstrate the impact of saving nearly 19.5 million cubic meters of water per year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economically, FSPV systems are currently approximately 25% more expensive <\/strong>upfront than land-based solar due to floating structures, anchoring, and waterproofing.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, higher efficiency, land savings, water conservation, reduced transmission costs, and hybrid integration<strong> improve long-term financial viability.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Comparison to Ground-mounted solar systems<\/strong>: Ground-mounted solar systems dominate India\u2019s roughly 100 GW of installed solar capacity, <strong>requiring three to four times more area<\/strong> per megawatt than the panels themselves occupy.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Land acquisition, which is costly, prone to conflict with agriculture and habitation, has historically and continues to be a chokepoint as India pursues 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>India\u2019s Energy Targets<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Emissions Intensity Reduction: <\/strong>India has committed to reducing the emissions intensity (CO\u2082 per unit of GDP) of its GDP by <strong>47%<\/strong> by 2035 from 2005 levels.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has already reduced its emissions intensity by about 36% between 2005 and 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expansion of Non-Fossil Fuel Capacity:<\/strong> India has committed to achieving<strong> 60%<\/strong> of its installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2035.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has already achieved more than <strong>50%<\/strong> non-fossil fuel capacity by 2026, ahead of its earlier target.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Creation of Carbon Sink: <\/strong>India has committed to creating a carbon sink of <strong>3.5 to 4 billion tonnes<\/strong> of CO\u2082 equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2035.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FSPV)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also known as &#8220;floatovoltaics,&#8221; is a technology where<strong> solar panels are installed on buoyant structures<\/strong> floating on water bodies like reservoirs, lakes, and dams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d6d7d1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"812\" height=\"339\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-81.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-76450\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d6d7d1; width:511px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-81.png 812w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-81-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-81-768x321.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Globally,<\/strong> floating solar reached about <strong>9.6 GW by 2024,<\/strong> nearly <strong>90% of it in Asia.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>China leads, with installations such as a 120 MW plant on a fish farm in Poyang Lake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Netherlands <\/strong>accounts for<strong> roughly three-fourths of Europe\u2019s capacity, <\/strong>built largely on quarry lakes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India\u2019s flagship is the<strong> Omkareshwar floating solar park on the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh<\/strong> \u2014 at 278 MW, the country\u2019s largest, with plans to scale to 600 MW.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key factors Driving the rise of FSPV:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Land-use Advantages:<\/strong> FSPV uses water surfaces that typically have low competing demands. This reduces land acquisition challenges and minimises social conflicts compared to large GMPV installations .\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhanced Energy Performance:<\/strong> Water bodies provide a cooling effect on PV modules, which can reduce operating temperatures and potentially increase energy yield.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Synergy with Hydropower: <\/strong>FSPV can be co-located with hydropower reservoirs, allowing shared infrastructure and enabling hybrid generation strategies.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rapid Market Growth and Policy Momentum: <\/strong>Countries like China, the Netherlands, Singapore, and South Korea have established dedicated guidelines. This standardisation effort is improving investor confidence and supporting utility-scale deployments.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite the rapid growth, FSPV still faces challenges related to system reliability, wave-induced stress, environmental uncertainties, and a lack of long-term performance datasets.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The report underscores the need for better modelling frameworks, and robust degradation assessments.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Development of a Dedicated Solar Potential Portal: <\/strong>To enable more informed, transparent, and actionable planning, NISE is committed to developing a dedicated Solar Potential Portal.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Integration with National and State-Level Energy Planning:<\/strong> NISE\u2019s periodic assessments and portal-based data will be directly linked to national and state energy planning frameworks.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>This will enable:<\/strong> Prioritisation of high-potential zones for ultra-mega solar parks.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strategic allocation of resources<\/strong> for grid strengthening and infrastructure development.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through a combination of continuous potential updates, a dedicated geospatial portal, and application-specific assessments, NISE aims to provide a scientific, transparent, and policy-relevant foundation for India\u2019s solar roadmap.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/indias-reservoirs-can-host-102-gw-of-floating-solar-says-first-national-assessment\/article71085769.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><br \/>\nContext<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\n<p>India\u2019s reservoirs can host about 102 gigawatt (GW) of floating solar capacity, according to the first comprehensive national assessment by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE).<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p>Major Highlights<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"\t>\n<p>Report: Solar PV Potential of India (Floating Solar).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\n<p>Total FSPV Potential: It estimates India\u2019s total floating solar (FSPV) potential at around 102.18 GW, with a constraint of using only 20% of the reservoir area.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-06-2026\/floating-solar-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76448"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76452,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76448\/revisions\/76452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}