Suraj Dodeja, Managing Director & CEO, Vashi Integrated Solutions Ltd.

September 29, 2026. By News Bureau

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Suraj Dodeja

Vashi Integrated Solutions Ltd.

Floating Solar

Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana

National Institute of Solar Energy

balance of system

Standardised Model

Floating PV

The Union Cabinet’s approval of the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) in July has placed floating solar firmly into India’s next phase of renewable energy development. The scheme has an outlay of INR 5,070 crore and aims to support 5,000 MW of floating solar projects, with at least two hours of co-located energy storage, equivalent to 10,000 MWh across the planned capacity.

The scale is significant. India currently has around 700 MW of commissioned floating solar capacity, while the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) has assessed the country's floating solar potential at 102.18 GWp. The assessment assumes utilisation of a maximum of 20% of the surface area of eligible water bodies.

The next challenge is turning that potential into projects that can deliver predictable generation and costs over the long term.

For floating solar, that starts much before the modules are installed. A water body is not a conventional project site. Water levels change, wind and waves affect the floating structure, and the anchoring system has to be designed around the conditions of the site. Even the way electrical cables are routed can have a bearing on maintenance and reliability.

The Role of Balance of System

Solar modules may be the most visible part of a project, but for floating solar, the Balance of System (BOS) needs greater attention.
Cables, connectors, junction boxes, inverters, transformers, switchgear, protection systems, earthing, anchoring and mooring systems all have to operate in conditions that are very different from a ground-mounted plant.

A cable that works well in a rooftop or ground-mounted installation does not automatically become suitable when installed on a floating platform. The platform moves. Cables can experience tension, bending and chafing, while moisture, humidity and periodic submersion add another layer of stress.

At Singapore’s Tengeh Reservoir, the floating PV testbed has been used to study system performance and reliability, including the challenges associated with operating electrical infrastructure on a moving platform.

Floating solar is not inherently difficult to operate, but its components need to be specified for the environment in which they will actually operate.

This has a direct impact on project economics. A lower-cost component may reduce the initial procurement bill, but if it needs frequent replacement or contributes to downtime, that saving can disappear quickly.

For floating solar, procurement cost and lifecycle cost therefore need to be considered together. BOS cannot be treated as a procurement exercise alone; it is part of the project’s reliability case.

O&M Needs to be Planned Differently

The operating model also changes once a solar plant moves onto water.

A ground-mounted plant can generally be accessed by road. On a floating plant, maintenance teams may need boats and additional equipment to reach the installation. Mooring and anchoring systems need to be inspected. Cable movement needs to be monitored. Changing water levels can affect both access and the behaviour of the floating system.

None of this makes floating solar unviable. It simply means these requirements need to be understood at the feasibility stage rather than after commissioning.

A good feasibility study should therefore go beyond establishing how much capacity a reservoir can accommodate. It should give developers a clear view of access, maintenance requirements, anchoring conditions and likely operating costs.

An O&M plan for a floating plant is part of the project economics from the beginning.

The same applies to replacement planning. If a critical component fails, how quickly can it be reached and replaced? What happens when water levels or weather conditions make access difficult? These questions may not change the headline capacity of a project, but they can affect availability, operating costs and cash flows.

Generation, Storage and Evacuation have to be Planned Together

PM-SSY’s requirement for at least two hours of co-located storage is significant because it brings generation, storage and grid delivery into the same project framework.

NISE’s assessment identifies Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Telangana among the states with the highest assessed floating-solar potential. However, a national potential assessment is only the starting point. At the project level, developers still need to establish available evacuation capacity, any network augmentation required, and the cost and timelines involved.

A reservoir may have strong solar potential, but that alone does not determine project viability. The ability to evacuate the power generated, along with the way storage is integrated into the project, will influence the operating profile and cash flows. These considerations need to be assessed alongside the site's generation potential, particularly when financing depends on predictable cash flows.

Building a Standardised Model

India’s floating-solar market is still developing. That makes the first wave of projects particularly important because the engineering and operating lessons from these plants will shape the next generation.

The domestic ecosystem will need to build capability across floatation systems, anchoring and mooring, electrical components and cable management. PM-SSY’s focus on domestic manufacturing of floatation systems and the wider value chain can help create greater visibility for manufacturers and encourage investment in testing and product development.

Standards will be equally important. A 2023 World Bank guidance document on floating solar in India identified gaps in existing technical standards when applied to floating PV, including in areas such as anchoring and mooring. Establishing clearer and more consistent approaches across these areas can reduce the need to develop project specifications from scratch each time.

For developers and lenders, the focus ultimately comes back to predictability: a well-assessed site, fit-for-purpose BOS, realistic O&M planning, and clarity on storage and evacuation. These factors will increasingly shape how projects are designed, evaluated and financed as floating solar moves from individual installations towards a larger project pipeline.

- Suraj Dodeja, Managing Director & CEO, Vashi Integrated Solutions Ltd.