Pakistan to get its first-ever unique ‘floating solar panel’ project

Pakistan’s first ever floating solar power project is being developed by the Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA). The news was revealed by the General Manager of Tarbela Dam, Mohammad Azam Joya, at a workshop on the social and environmental impacts of floating solar panel projects. He said:

The floating solar project will be implemented in the Tarbela and Ghazi Barotha barrages and will generate 300 megawatts of cheap electricity. The unique project will be made possible by putting solar panels over water bodies to generate low-cost electricity. The project will take two and a half years to complete and will cost $325 million. Special funding will be provided by the World Bank for this project.

Regarding the implementation of the project, Azam said:

Two projects will be installed in both the Tarbela and Ghazi Barotha barrages. Each of these projects will have a capacity of 150 megawatts and will potentially add a total of 300 megawatts to the national distribution system.

About floating solar panel project

Floating solar or floating photovoltaics (FPV), sometimes called floatovoltaics, is solar panels mounted on a structure that floats on a body of water, typically a reservoir or a lake. The market for this renewable energy technology has grown rapidly since 2016.

Experts list several benefits of floating solar plants: the water saving comes from reduced evaporation as solar panels cover the surface of a reservoir and absorb the rays of the sun while at the same time limiting the evaporative effects of wind.

WAPDA has announced its plan for the dam; however, only time will unveil when and how the project is implemented.

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