New Delhi: The government is working on a dedicated scheme to support floating solar projects in the country, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said on Friday. Sarangi made the remarks at the 13th Foundation Day event of the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) in New Delhi.
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"We are actively looking at ways in which land does not become a constraint for deployment of solar modules," Sarangi said in his address.
He said the ministry is examining a scheme that would encourage states to take up much larger floating solar projects, which, according to him, have so far not achieved their full potential.
Floating solar projects involve the installation of solar panels on water bodies. Such systems are considered more energy-efficient than land-based installations because of the cooling effect of water.
At the same event, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik launched NSEFI Sustainable Energy Federation of India. "With the creation of the NSEFI Sustainable Energy Federation of Industry, the organisation will now integrate its ongoing efforts in electricity and agriculture with new focus areas in Industrial and Mobility decarbonization, creating a unified platform to accelerate India's transition to a Net Zero Economy," NSEFI CEO Subrahmanyam Pulipaka said.
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According to an official statement, India’s installed solar capacity has risen from 2.82 GW in March 2014 to 150.26 GW in March 2026, an increase of 147.44 GW. The statement said this marked a 53.28-fold rise over the period.
Within that overall expansion, floating solar capacity stands at around 700 MW.