Govt holds stakeholder consultation on draft floating solar policy

The floating solar potential report has been prepared by National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and the policy by IIT Roorkee, respectively

The Union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) on Friday held a discussion on the draft floating solar PV (FSPV) potential assessment report and draft floating solar policy with stakeholders, with officials aware of the details saying that the draft policy would soon be made available to the public.

The draft policy will also be made available to the public soon. (Sourced from Britannica website)

The floating solar potential report has been prepared by National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and the policy by IIT Roorkee, respectively. “Considering the prevailing land constraints faced in Renewable Energy (RE) projects, FSPV has emerged as an alternate avenue. However, only around 700 MW of FSPV projects have been commissioned in India, so far. This is majorly due to lack of data on the potential sites and clear framework for project execution,” MNRE said in a statement on Friday.

In order to overcome this bottleneck, MNRE in association with NISE and IITR has prepared these documents, the statement said.

According to the statement, MNRE has requested all states/UTs to have internal consultations with all stakeholders at state level like water resources/irrigation, revenue, fisheries, forest, agriculture, DISCOMs/Transcom, PWD, tourism, pollution control etc., and provide their comments and feedbacks on draft policy and potential. “The discussion focused on providing innovative solutions like plug and pay models, allotment of water bodies with all necessary approvals etc. for the de-risking of the developers and investors. Based on the potential and policy, states/UTs may also identify and prioritise sites for the development of FSPV projects,” it added.

The draft policy will also be made available to the public soon, officials aware of the details said.

MNRE will also hold detailed consultations with the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC), wetland authority, national dam safety authority etc. on the floating solar policy, based on the feedback received from the states, the ministry said.

The consultation was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, RE State Nodal Agencies, and representatives from States/UTs, Solar Energy Corporation of India, NISE and IIT Roorkee etc.

According to a report on the environmental impact of floating solar by BayWa r.e –– a renewable energy company –– depending on system design, floating-PV (FPV) has been shown to reduce evaporation losses, potentially saving water in arid areas. But, uncertainty about consequences for water quality and overall ecology hampers the spread of FPV projects, especially in Europe. Social acceptance also plays an important role. Greater public knowledge of FPV’s positive environmental impact is key to expansion.

According to a paper published in IOP Science in 2024, FPV deployments on freshwater bodies are rapidly growing, as they avert land-use change, operate with increased efficiency, and potentially improve water availability by reducing evaporation and the frequency of algal blooms. However, understanding of the ecological consequences for water bodies is very limited despite the variable and far-reaching range of potential impacts.