Suntrace and Innosea team up for Maldives floating solar project

Innosea has been appointed to a consortium led by Suntrace to develop and support tender process for the marine floating solar photovoltaics project (FPV) in the Maldives.

Engineering consultancy firm specialising in marine renewables Innosea will team up with Suntrace, a Hamburg-based independent renewable energy advisor, as well as Renewable Energy Maldives (REM) and two environmental and social consultants to work on this forward-looking project.

The assignment encompasses technical support to the Maldivian government to develop floating solar in seawater near various islands within the archipelago.

Innosea will provide preliminary estimates of the potential for FPV in two regions of the archipelago, the company informed.

It will also bring forward proposals on international best practices for FPV development, and support to the upcoming tendering process and coordination for the deployment of a 12-month site-specific data collection.

The project is part of the Accelerating Renewable Energy Integration and Sustainable Energy (ARISE) programme – an initiative funded by the World Bank to accelerate the integration of renewable energy sources in the Maldives and in particular island states, to overcome challenges caused by climate change.

“We enjoy the challenge of every renewable project we are involved with. Nonetheless, given the Maldives’ vulnerable situation with regards to rising ocean levels caused by global warming, this project is especially meaningful”, said Benoit Briere, senior project manager at Innosea.

The project also includes a 12-month current and wave measurement campaign to qualify site conditions and allow for further site selection and FPV plant design.

Raúl Granados, head of renewable energy resources at Suntrace, said: “We are getting used to large 3-digit MW solar Photovoltaic power plants, but we forget the significant impact that just 1MWp can do for communities in small islands.

“Maritime FPV application is a great opportunity to help avoid frequent power shutdowns and intermittent power supply and to provide a fully satisfactory energy supply.

“The transition towards a net-zero future with low-to-no impact to the environment is possible for the Maldives. We are looking forward to supporting the Maldivians in this challenging goal”.

Suntrace, the renewable energy business line of Dornier Group – an international infrastructure advisor of sustainable solutions – will provide technical and advisory services across all project phases from origination to operation.

The company has already contributed to 150 renewable energy projects in over 50 countries with an overall capacity of 10GW.

Innosea, which is part of Oslo-listed AqualisBraemar LOC, has rapidly developed its capabilities across the FPV market, contributing to over 50 projects across over 12 countries, and up to 1,500 MWp capacity, according to the company.

The company has also been invited to join three international R&D projects to support the accelerated scaling of this technology.