Employees engaged in upkeep work on the floating photo voltaic panel constructions at Ukkadam Huge Tank in Coimbatore metropolis.
| Photograph Credit score: M. PERIASAMY
The Union Cupboard on Friday (July 31, 2026) accepted the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY), a ₹5,070-crore scheme aimed toward accelerating floating solar energy by offering central monetary help (CFA) of as much as ₹1 crore per MW for initiatives put in on reservoirs and different water our bodies.
The programme targets 5,000 MW of floating photo voltaic capability by 2030-31.
The scheme, to be applied by the Photo voltaic Power Company of India (SECI), comes at a time when India has solely about 0.7 GW of put in floating photo voltaic capability regardless of an estimated technical potential of 102 GW.
Initiatives receiving assist underneath the scheme should embody battery vitality storage equal to at the very least two hours, amounting to 10,000 MWh throughout the programme, to assist States meet peak demand and scale back the curtailment of renewable energy during times of extra era.
India’s flagship venture, the Omkareshwar floating photo voltaic park, situated on the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district is the nation’s largest at 278 MW, with plans to scale to 600 MW output. Nonetheless, it doesn’t have onsite battery storage.
Officers mentioned the monetary assist was meant as a “nudge” to the trade to develop an alternate stream of photo voltaic capability quite than a everlasting subsidy. Photo voltaic improvement in India has remained concentrated in Rajasthan and Gujarat due to their huge tracts of cheap land and excessive photo voltaic radiation.
Reservoir-based initiatives are anticipated to “diversify” installations geographically, significantly in States with giant water our bodies however restricted land availability.
Land constraints
The coverage can be designed to deal with two of the most important constraints dealing with ground-mounted photo voltaic initiatives: buying giant contiguous parcels of land and the rising prices related to rehabilitation and resettlement.
Floor-mounted photo voltaic, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of India’s roughly 100 GW of put in photo voltaic capability, usually requires three to 4 instances extra land per megawatt than the world the photo voltaic panels bodily occupy.
Land acquisition has more and more emerged as a bottleneck as India pursues its goal of 500 GW of non-fossil gasoline electrical energy capability by 2030.
Potential and benefits
A current evaluation by the Nationwide Institute of Photo voltaic Power (NISE) estimated that India may host 102.18 GW of floating photo voltaic after factoring in a number of variables together with perennial water availability, appropriate depth, enough photo voltaic irradiation and proximity to roads and substations. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and Telangana account for the most important share of this potential
Floating photo voltaic presents a number of operational benefits over typical ground-mounted programs. By utilizing reservoirs and industrial ponds, it avoids competitors for agricultural land whereas decreasing water evaporation. Cooler working circumstances over water additionally scale back soiling losses and might enhance panel effectivity.
The Cupboard be aware says the scheme may even encourage home manufacturing of specialized elements whereas producing an estimated 16,000-17,000 jobs.
Value and engineering
The know-how, nonetheless, comes at a premium. Authorities estimates place floating photo voltaic system prices at ₹4.9-5.2 crore per MW, about 25% greater than comparable ground-mounted initiatives because of the extra expenditure on floating platforms, anchoring and mooring programs.
The necessary battery storage additional will increase venture prices. Builders have additionally reported engineering challenges at current initiatives, together with put on on floating constructions and cable failures. The Centre nonetheless expects the upper upfront prices to be offset by the strategic worth of making a geographically diversified photo voltaic fleet with built-in storage decreasing dependence on land-intensive initiatives whereas making renewable electrical energy extra dispatchable.
Revealed – July 31, 2026 10:12 pm IST
