TaiyangNews covers articles from Market Survey on Floating PV 2024, This is the fourth article in a series covering industry-leading floating solar companies. This section focus on Austria's Swimsol and SolarisFloat (see Exploring Advanced Solutions In Floating Photovoltaics).
After more than 4 years of research in cooperation with the Vienna University of Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, Swimsol installed its first floating system in 2014. Maldives has been a major market for the company, while it also has projects in Indonesia and Malaysia. Swimsol designs, builds, and operates complete floating solar systems. The company also sells floaters and accessories, and provides training, coordination, and supervision for installation to EPCs. On top, it also covers financing, installation, commissioning, and operation and maintenance (O&M). Its O&M service throughout the duration of the contract period includes permanent system monitoring with remote access, regular checks on mechanical and electrical integrity, and on-site repairs and routine exchanges.
The components of Swimsol's floating systems are manufactured by specialized suppliers according to the company's specifications. The metal beams, connection points, and parts of the floating bodies are currently manufactured in Austria, Hungary, Germany, and India. The floating bodies, which make up the highest share of the physical volume, can be produced locally for large projects. While the company has not provided any additional information about its total installed capacity, according to its website, Swimsol has executed 15+ MW of floating projects that are in operation across the 30+ islands (see Global Expansion Of Floating Solar PV Systems).
SolarisFloat is a jp.group company, which primarily operates in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The Portuguese company has commercialized a unique technology combining floating with trackers. SolarisFloat has 5 patents registered in more than 120 countries and targets utility solar projects. The company installed its first pilot project on Oostvoornse Meer, a lake in the south-west Netherlands with a capacity of 50.7 kW. To reach this capacity, the company used 130 modules installed in a single-axis configuration. SolarisFloat carried out this project in close partnership with the Dutch company "SUNPROJECTS".
The text is an excerpt from the TaiyangNews Floating PV 2024 Report, which can be downloaded for free here.