India's reservoirs could hold 102 gigawatts (GW) of floating solar energy, says new assessment from the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE). The report, Solar PV Potential of India (Floating Solar), is first national look at floating solar tech. It points to benefits in tackling land scarcity, a big hurdle for solar growth here.
Ground-mounted solar systems now make up nearly 100 GW of India's solar capacity. They need three to four times more land per megawatt than panels occupy. Land acquisition's a major snag, often tangled with agricultural and residential needs . Report stresses floating solar is "land neutral," offering a real alternative to traditional farms .
NISE estimated using six geospatial filters on India's inland water bodies. Criteria included lakes,reservoirs over 10 hectares,water for at least 11 months yearly,depths from 3 to 30 meters,solar irradiance over 4.5 kWh/m²/day,and roads,substations within 10 kilometers. Found 1,946 square kilometers of usable area,with a 20% cap on reservoir surface area, projecting 102.18 GW potential.
States like Maharashtra (16.28 GW), Madhya Pradesh (14.89 GW), Karnataka (13.69 GW), Odisha (12.81 GW), and Telangana (10.72 GW) expected to contribute heavily. Findings announced by Santosh Kumar Sarangi,Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),at a press conference June 10, 2026. Sarangi mentioned talks with Finance Ministry to boost floating solar and agri-photovoltaics — panels over farmland.
Floating solar tech has its issues. Report skips a detailed cost analysis for this potential in India. Cites 2021 benchmark from U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, noting floating solar plants usually face 25% higher upfront costs versus ground-mounted systems due to floats,anchoring,waterproofing.
India's largest floating solar project is Omkareshwar floating solar park on Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district . Currently at 278 MW,plans to hit 600 MW. But NISE's field checks found problems like loosening float joints,misaligned platforms,uneven buoyancy,and reports of broken electric cables from developers.
Globally,floating solar hit about 9.6 GW by 2024,with nearly 90% in Asia. China leads with projects like a 120 MW plant on Poyang Lake. Singapore and Netherlands also play big roles in their regions…
