The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) held a stakeholder consultation workshop to deliberate on the draft floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) potential assessment report and the draft floating solar policy. The report and proposal have been prepared by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) & IIT Roorkee, respectively. During the workshop, it was highlighted that only around 700 MW of floating solar photovoltaic projects have been commissioned in India, mainly due to a lack of data on the potential sites and a clear framework for project execution.
To address this bottleneck, MNRE, in collaboration with NISE and IIT Roorkee, prepared the draft documents to provide clarity and structured guidance. Furthermore, the ministry urged all states and union territories to conduct internal consultations with key departments, including water resources, irrigation, revenue, fisheries, forest, agriculture, distribution companies, transmission utilities, PWD, tourism, and pollution control authorities. They have been requested to submit their comments and feedback on the draft policy and the potential assessment report.
The discussions were centred on introducing innovative measures, such as plug-and-play models and the allocation of water bodies with all required approvals, to reduce risks for developers and investors. Emphasis was placed on creating a more facilitative framework to streamline project execution. Additionally, the MNRE will undertake detailed consultations with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Wetland Authority, and the National Dam Safety Authority on the draft floating solar policy. These consultations will incorporate the feedback received from states and union territories.
