World’s largest floating photovoltaic plant goes into operation in Taiwan with 440 MW

Hexa Renewables has put the world’s largest offshore floating PV plant into operation in Taiwan. Its total installed capacity is no less than 440 MW and covers 347 hectares of land provided by the government.
This giant plant can supply energy to around 74,000 households.
Chenya Energy, a former subsidiary of Hexa’s investor I Squared Capital, developed and built the first phase of the project, which was completed in 2020. Hexa completed the expansion in February this year, in partnership with French floating PV solutions provider Ciel & Terre.

The project now has a combined capacity of around 440 MW and will be able to power approximately 74,000 homes in Taiwan. The floating solar installation is estimated to offset 136,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

The Taiwanese government has set a goal of reaching 20 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and having net-zero emissions by 2050.

These types of offshore installations arise from the lack of land availability. 71% of the planet’s surface is covered by water, which means an opportunity to develop large-scale projects in countries with little free land.

At the same time, floating solar installations can generate more energy in hot climates. Proximity to water helps keep the panels cool, allowing them to increase their efficiency and deliver more electricity to the grid.

Beyond these advantages, installing the panels was a technical challenge due to the waves and tides that occur in the area. According to Ciel & Terre, these conditions were quite demanding for the anchoring, for which they developed an adapted system that distributes the loads according to the tide level.

This project is also the first large-scale project to use concrete pillars and an H-beam system for the anchoring design.

“We are delighted to announce that HEXA Renewables, backed by global infrastructure fund I Squared Capital, has partnered with the Taiwanese government and has completed the commissioning of the world’s largest floating offshore solar power plant,” the company stated in a post on X.