2 MW Floating Solar project proposal in Banja reservoir accepted by Albanian authorities

The project is aiming to be part of our R&D program for floating solar.
The PV project proposal is a contemporary technological solution, which will enable saving of land and exploitation of the water surface of Banja reservoir.

While the concept of floating solar is not new, Statkraft plans through this project to explore the feasibility of large scale application of solar panels attached directly on a floating membrane, allowing for efficient cooling of panels and efficient utilization of land area.

When fully commercialized the technology aims to bring a cost effective application for floating solar to the market. This project will allow for the largest application of this technology so far in the world.

The floating facility will be anchored with a solution permitting for automatic and unrestricted movement of the solar farm without impacting the operational regime of Banja reservoir and HPP. When fully completed, the facility will consist of four circular units, each with a diameter of 72 meter, supported by high density polyethylene pipe structures. The solar farm will cover around 16,000 square meter of surface area and will have a total capacity of 2 MW. The membrane itself is at the core of the technology. It is less than a millimetre thick and made up from polyester coated in a polymer.

The construction period is assessed to take approximately 10 months, with a tentative works commencement by April 2019.