Sungrow Power Supply Co has said the largest floating PV power plant with a capacity of 40MW had been grid connected on former flooded coal mining region in Huainan, south Anhui province, China. Image: Sungrow

Major photovoltaic (PV) inverter manufacturer Sungrow Power Supply Co has said the largest floating PV power plant with a capacity of 40MW had been grid connected on former flooded coal mining region in Huainan, south Anhui province, China.

Floating solar power plants are becoming increasingly popular across the globe due to their ability to reduce water evaporation in many applications, while the cooler ambient air, due to the water location, notably in hot and humid environments, limits the solar panel’s exposure to the ‘temperature coefficient’ that results in performance degradation as ambient temperatures increase.

Sungrow said that its central inverter SG2500-MV central inverter was deployed at the floating plant that featured the integration of the inverter, the transformer and the switchgear, as a turnkey station. In addition, the combiner box SunBox PVS-8M/16M-W supplied by Sungrow was customized for floating power plants applications, enabling it to work in a stable condition in such and environment with high levels of humidity and salt spray.

The floating plant is located on flooded land with the depth of water ranging from 4 to 10 meters, according to the company.

A 20MW floating system in the same region had been the largest operating since early 2016.

‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JA Solar later announced that it was the supplier of PV modules to the floating solar plant. The company supplied monocrystalline double-glass modules designed for greater protection against moisture ingress and high anti-PID performance and resistance against corrosion.