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India's Floating Solar Farms Can Be Seen From Space
https://scitechdaily.com/indias-floating-solar-farms-can-be-seen-from-space/ In India, massive floating solar farms are transforming reservoirs into futuristic energy hubs. While deserts have long dominated solar power, these buoyant installations offer a new frontier, captured in satellite images from space.
Despite higher costs and environmental concerns, floating arrays help save land, reduce evaporation, and slow algal blooms, all while generating serious power. And this isn’t a one-off: India is rolling out similar systems across the country.
Solar Farms Beyond the Desert
From the Mojave Desert to the Thar, vast stretches of sun-drenched, open land have long made deserts ideal locations for solar farms. But solar arrays don’t need to stay on land; they can also float. Increasingly, solar panels are being installed on the surfaces of lakes and reservoirs. Like their ground-based counterparts, these floating solar farms can be large enough to be seen from space.
Floating Solar in Madhya Pradesh Annotated
Satellite image of floating solar arrays on a reservoir along the Narmada River in central India captured on January 30, 2025.
These satellite images show the growth of floating solar arrays on a reservoir along the Narmada River in central India. The image above, taken on January 30, 2025, shows the reservoir in a more advanced stage of development. The image below, from February 10, 2023, captures the same area earlier in the project. Both were captured by the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) instrument aboard Landsat 9.
. . .
Floating Solar: Trade-offs and Advantages
Experts have noted that floating solar installations can pose challenges, such as higher up-front costs, vulnerability to natural events, and long-term effects on water quality. However, the benefits of the systems might include their ability to prevent evaporation, impede algal growth, and provide an alternative to land-based systems in areas where space is limited.
. . .
Despite higher costs and environmental concerns, floating arrays help save land, reduce evaporation, and slow algal blooms, all while generating serious power. And this isn’t a one-off: India is rolling out similar systems across the country.
Solar Farms Beyond the Desert
From the Mojave Desert to the Thar, vast stretches of sun-drenched, open land have long made deserts ideal locations for solar farms. But solar arrays don’t need to stay on land; they can also float. Increasingly, solar panels are being installed on the surfaces of lakes and reservoirs. Like their ground-based counterparts, these floating solar farms can be large enough to be seen from space.
Floating Solar in Madhya Pradesh Annotated
Satellite image of floating solar arrays on a reservoir along the Narmada River in central India captured on January 30, 2025.
These satellite images show the growth of floating solar arrays on a reservoir along the Narmada River in central India. The image above, taken on January 30, 2025, shows the reservoir in a more advanced stage of development. The image below, from February 10, 2023, captures the same area earlier in the project. Both were captured by the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) instrument aboard Landsat 9.
. . .
Floating Solar: Trade-offs and Advantages
Experts have noted that floating solar installations can pose challenges, such as higher up-front costs, vulnerability to natural events, and long-term effects on water quality. However, the benefits of the systems might include their ability to prevent evaporation, impede algal growth, and provide an alternative to land-based systems in areas where space is limited.
. . .