The country’s floating solar potential is estimated at more than 102 GWp across reservoirs and inland water bodies.
Tata Power, one of India’s largest integrated power companies, has partnered with Norway‑based renewable technology firm Ocean Sun to bring its innovative membrane‑based floating solar technology to India. The collaboration agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Second India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Prosperity Summit, reinforcing the growing India-Norway and India-EFTA partnership in clean‑energy innovation.
The partnership will see Tata Power and Ocean Sun undertake a 300 kilowatt‑peak (kWp) floating solar pilot at Tata Power’s Mulshi reservoir in Maharashtra. The project will test Ocean Sun’s proprietary membrane‑based floating solar system for performance, reliability, cost competitiveness and scalability under Indian conditions, while generating practical insights for future deployment.
India’s floating solar potential is vast. The National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) estimates more than 102 gigawatt‑peak (GWp) of potential across reservoirs and inland water bodies—a major opportunity to complement ground‑mounted and rooftop solar as India expands its renewable energy ecosystem. Pilots such as Mulshi will help build the technical and commercial evidence base for wider adoption.
“Our collaboration with Ocean Sun reflects Tata Power’s commitment to bringing advanced global technologies to India and evaluating their potential in real‑world conditions,” said Praveer Sinha, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Power. “Through this pilot, we aim to assess its ability to deliver reliable, scalable and cost‑effective clean‑power solutions.”
The pilot will benchmark Ocean Sun’s technology against conventional floating solar systems across parameters such as energy generation, capacity‑utilisation factor, installation time, reliability, operations and maintenance, capital cost and overall commercial viability.
Floating Solar Potential
Unlike conventional systems that use interconnected pontoons, Ocean Sun’s design deploys solar photovoltaic (PV) modules on a thin, hydro‑elastic membrane that floats directly on the water surface. The lightweight structure simplifies transport and installation while reducing material requirements. The proximity of PV modules to the water may also provide a cooling effect, potentially improving generation efficiency.
“India is one of the world’s most attractive floating solar markets, but also a large and complex one where local execution capabilities are essential,” said Kristian Tørvold, CEO, Ocean Sun. “Tata Power brings the experience and market understanding needed to navigate that complexity, and we are pleased to collaborate on this project.”
The partnership comes at a pivotal moment for India’s floating solar sector, which is expected to play a growing role in the country’s renewable energy transition. By enabling solar generation from water bodies, floating solar can reduce land dependence while offering co‑benefits such as lower water evaporation and enhanced PV performance.