Renewable energy microgrid specialist Canopy Power Australia announced it has partnered with Floating Solutions Consulting (FSC) to advance its plan to deploy next-generation floating solar technology in Australia.
Canopy Power Australia Managing Director Mahasti Motazedi said the partnership with FSC will pair Canopy Power’s experience in delivering solar microgrid and battery energy storage solutions with FSC’s maritime engineering expertise.
“Floating solar needs two kinds of excellence: marine engineering to keep it on the water, and renewable energy engineering to make it perform,” he said. “Together with Floating Solutions Consulting, we bring both, so our clients get a best-in-class solution and a project delivered with confidence.”
Motazedi said the collaboration will support delivery of more than 50 MW of floating solar infrastructure over the next 36 months.
“We’re not building large utility-scale solar farms. Our focus is custom floating solar microgrids for commercial and industrial (C&I) clients,” he said, adding that the company’s pipeline of projects is already well “advanced in Victoria and growing in New South Wales (NSW), and we’re looking at other states as demand builds.”
“Over the next three years, we plan to deploy 10-plus projects across Australia, representing around 50 MWp of installed capacity,” Motazedi said. “We’re targeting construction of our first Australian project in the second half 2027.”
The projects will feature Norwegian floating PV specialist Ocean Sun’s patented technology that consists of modified silicon solar modules installed on a circular hydro-elastic floating membrane measuring 70-metres in diameter.
The membrane is only 1 mm thick that Ocean Sun said allows the solar panels to be in direct thermal contact with the water. The company said this contributes significantly to heat dissipation, which in turn “delivers up to 10% higher yield compared to both ground-mounted and pontoon-based floating PV systems.”
Each membrane offers 700 kWp of PV generation capacity and multiple floating rings can be deployed to provide the desired solar capacity. Ocean Sun said the structures are built to withstand harsh conditions and the system is certified to withstand winds up to 275 km/h. The floating rings are also fitted with pumps that allow rainwater to be harvested.
Canopy Power will design and deploy the floating solar technology as a microgrid solution, and integrate other energy assets such as battery storage, rooftop or ground mounted solar PV and wind energy when needed.
Motazedi said the technology has already attracted widespread interest, adding that floating solar presents a compelling opportunity to expand renewable energy generation while minimising land usage and addressing issues such as water scarcity and quality.
“Few solutions deliver water preservation and clean energy together,” he said. “We’re seeing strong interest in this new generation of floating solar, particularly from water utilities and agricultural operators with ponds, reservoirs, and small lakes.”
“The system reduces evaporation by up to 50% and limits algae growth, while generating electricity on water rather than land. Its full surface also captures rainwater, around 2 million litres per year at a typical site, which many of our clients find valuable.”
Target markets include water utilities, data centres, and mining and agriculture operations. Canopy Power said the partnership is also bringing floating charging stations to Australian waters, so electric ferries, workboats and other electric vessels can charge on the water.
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