Floating Solar Farm Tender

Location Thailand State-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will float 16 solar farms with a combined capacity of more than 2.7 gigawatts in nine of its hydroelectric dam reservoirs by 2037.Thailand plans to build the worlds largest floating solar farms to power Southeast Asias second-largest economy and to boost the countrys share of clean energy.Several of the proposed projects are more than double the size of the worlds largest floating system now and the venture dwarfs the 1.3 gigawatts of generation installed globally as of October.The plan represents an ambitious bet for Thailand on floating solar which tends to be more expensive than the ground-mounted units that dominate the sector. If EGAT builds all its proposed projects the company says floating solar will account for one tenth of the countrys clean energy sources compared to just 1 of global solar capacity by 2050.Thailand has been moving towards generating more electricity from renewable sources in recent years. It has set the goal that renewable energy will make up 27 of overall capacity by 2037 according to its latest power development plan.The bidding for the first floating solar project will begin in two months and will be open to international companies.Floating systems are considered about 18 more expensive than land-based ones because of the need for floats moorings and more resilient electrical components according to the World Bank. However the projects bypass land use in forests and farmlands and water can also help to cool the solar panels increasing the efficiency by 10.Eight of EGATs 16 planned floating plants would be larger than what is now the worlds biggest a 150-megawatt system floating above a collapsed coal mine in China. Thailands biggest will be the 325-MW farm at Sirikit Dam in northern Thailand scheduled to be completed in 2035.