THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

MUMBAI, OCTOBER 7, 2026

Tata Power has partnered with Norway-based renewable energy technology company Ocean Sun to bring membrane-based floating solar technology to India and will undertake a nearly 300 kWp pilot project at its Mulshi reservoir in Maharashtra.

The collaboration agreement was signed on the sidelines of the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit, underlining the growing India-Norway and India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) partnership in technology, innovation and clean energy.

Under the partnership, Tata Power and Ocean Sun will deploy the floating solar pilot to assess the Norwegian company's proprietary membrane-based technology for performance, reliability, cost competitiveness and scalability under Indian conditions.

The project is also expected to generate operational insights that could support the wider deployment of the technology in India.

India has significant potential for floating solar deployment. According to estimates by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), the country has more than 102 GWp of floating solar potential, offering a substantial opportunity for the technology to complement ground-mounted and rooftop solar as India expands its renewable energy capacity.

The Mulshi pilot will enable Tata Power to evaluate the technology against conventional floating solar solutions on parameters such as energy generation, capacity utilisation factor (CUF), installation methodology and timelines, reliability, operations and maintenance requirements, capital cost and overall commercial viability.

Unlike conventional floating solar systems that generally use interconnected pontoon structures, Ocean Sun's technology places solar photovoltaic modules on a thin, hydro-elastic membrane that floats directly on the water surface.

The lightweight design could simplify transportation and installation while reducing structural requirements. The proximity of the solar modules to the water surface may also provide a cooling effect, potentially improving generation performance.

"At Tata Power, innovation is central to accelerating India's clean energy transition. Our collaboration with Ocean Sun reflects our commitment to bringing advanced global technologies to India and evaluating their potential in real-world conditions," Tata Power CEO and Managing Director Dr Praveer Sinha said.

"Through this floating solar pilot, we aim to generate valuable operating insights and assess its potential to deliver reliable, scalable and cost-effective clean power solutions," he added.

Ocean Sun CEO Kristian Tørvold said India is one of the world's most attractive floating solar markets but is also a large and complex market where local execution capabilities are essential.

"Tata Power brings the experience, capabilities and market understanding required to navigate that complexity. We are therefore particularly pleased to establish this collaboration and to work together on the floating solar project," Tørvold said.

The partnership comes at a time when floating solar is expected to play a growing role in India's renewable energy transition. By enabling solar power generation from suitable water bodies, floating solar can help reduce dependence on land while offering potential co-benefits such as lower water evaporation and improved photovoltaic performance.

The India-EFTA Prosperity Summit brought together stakeholders from India and EFTA member countries. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Invest India played an important role in facilitating India's engagement with EFTA and supporting opportunities for international investment and technology collaboration.