The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has launched a tender for a hydro-floating solar hybrid project to be developed at the Srinagarind Dam in Kanchanaburi province. This project is part of EGAT’s broader initiative to integrate renewable energy with existing hydroelectric facilities, enhancing Thailand’s energy mix and sustainability efforts.
Furthermore, the project will involve the design, supply, construction, and commissioning of an 182 MW floating solar power plant. The scope of the project will include a floating PV system, an anchoring and mooring system, a 33 kV electrical system, transmission lines, and a control and monitoring system. This hybrid setup will complement the existing hydroelectric power station at the dam, which has a generation capacity of 720 MW.
This project is part of EGAT’s larger plan to develop 16 floating solar projects across nine dams, with a total capacity of 2,725 MW, aligning with Thailand’s Power Development Plan. At the beginning of 2024, EGAT launched its second floating solar hybrid project, a 24 MW array that has already commenced commercial operations.
REGlobal’s Views: Floating solar is gaining traction as land constraints drive governments and industry towards alternate modes of deploying solar. South east Asian countries are densely populated with limited land available, and thus, floating solar is a win-win opportunity to generate solar power, preserve land for agriculture or other uses, and also get synergies in transmission utilisation in case the project is hybridised with other energy sources.
