Ocean Sun secures grant to build its first floating solar pilot in South America

Ocean Sun, a Norwegian floating solar company, has secured NOK 4 million (around $359,000) from the Research Council of Norway and Brazil’s Finep agency to advance a 250 kWp floating solar pilot project near Rio de Janeiro in 2025. 

According to Ocean Sun, the “Floating Photovoltaics on Membranes: Development of new fixation design and new materials engineering” project will explore new fixation designs and materials engineering, enhancing the company’s membrane-based floating photovoltaics (PV) technology in collaboration with Brazilian partners UAPÊ Energias Solares and Sansuy S.A. Indústria de Plásticos.

The project is said to mark Ocean Sun’s entry into the South American market, an important step for the company’s global expansion in floating PV. 

Ocean Sun’s CEO, Kristian Tørvold, said: “This funding will enable us to push the boundaries of floating solar technology and allow us to build our first installation in South America, a strategically important market with our good partner Uapê.”

The pilot project aims to demonstrate the viability and resilience of membrane-based floating solar in Brazil’s coastal environment.

Ocean Sun’s technology is based on a thin membrane, used to float the customized PV modules, enabling low material usage, simple installation, efficiency from water cooling, robustness in rough water environments, and reduced water evaporation.

In August, Ocean Sun secured funding from state-owned Innovation Norway to advance key technology areas, including a freshwater collection system. This comes after the Norway-based company unveiled the addition of two new C-level executives to its leadership team earlier this month.