Across India, floating solar panels are transforming how renewable energy is produced and delivered to homes. Instead of occupying precious land, these solar arrays are mounted on buoyant platforms and released into water bodies—lakes, reservoirs, and long-forgotten industrial ponds. By shifting solar panels to water, India bypasses the challenges of land scarcity while opening up new frontiers for clean energy.
This floating technology delivers compelling dual benefits. First, by covering the water’s surface, the solar panels significantly reduce evaporation, an advantage in water-stressed regions. At NTPC’s Ramagundam floating solar plant in Telangana, a project spanning 500 acre. The panels are expected to save nearly 2 billion litres of water every year by limiting surface evaporation. That’s enough water to supply around 10,000 households annually.
Second, solar power generation on water offers improved efficiency. Panels stay cooler, further boosting their output by up to 10 percent compared to traditional land-based systems. There is no need to clear land that might otherwise be used for food crops, housing, or conservation.
NTPC’s Ramagundam plant, India’s largest operational floating solar plant with a 100 MW capacity, stands as a model for this technology. With more projects planned at sites like Omkareshwar Dam (Madhya Pradesh) and Kayamkulam (Kerala), experts believe vast reservoirs across India could become the next generation of clean-energy hubs, balancing renewable power supply and water conservation on an unprecedented scale.
Floating solar panels in India are more than just a clever use of space—they’re propelling the country toward a greener future, lighting up homes, and preserving precious water for generations to come.
