Norway's Ocean Sun AS has switched on part capacity of a 2 MW floating solar power plant for local energy company Statkraft representing a capacity of 500 kW. Remaining 1.5 MW will be installed by the company in 3 units of 500 kW each within H2/2021.
Statkraft had hired the services of Ocean Sun to develop 2 MW floating solar capacity to be located at the Banja reservoir of its 72 MW Banja Hydropower Plant in March 2019 (see Ocean Sun To Develop 2 MW Floating PV For Statkraft).
The initial unit with 500 kW capacity is now connected to the national electricity grid with 1,536 solar panels covering close to 4,000 sq. mtr. space. Ocean Sun has used a floating ring and its own hydro-elastic membrane, which though thin, can withstand the weight of the panels and of installation/maintenance staff, claim the companies.
Ocean Sun has has also installed 160 equal panels on land for comparison and documentation of the cooling effect on the floating panels. Statkraft calls it the country's 1st floating solar plant.
"This is a great milestone in an innovative floating solar project, and it is exciting to see the plant come alive and provide additional renewable energy production in Albania," said Statkraft CEO Christian Rynning-Tønnesen. "We are looking forward to the concrete results of this demonstration project to assess the potential for further expansion of this exciting technology."
There is another larger scale floating solar power plant being planned in the country by Albanian hydropower generator KESH with 12.9 MW capacity. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) approved €9.1 million loan in April 2021 for the project to be installed on the Vau I Dejës hydropower plant reservoir (see EBRD Backs. 12.9 MW Floating Solar Project In Albania).
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