Singaporean FPV company targets offshore expansion plans – pv magazine Australia
Floating PV is a growing niche in the solar industry, but its offshore segment has proven more difficult to activate, largely due to the difficulty of producing power in open water. Nonetheless, the potential of floating photovoltaics at sea is almost limitless and a Singaporean company, G8 Subsea, is seeking to leave the safety of ports and reservoirs.
As the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) noted, floating photovoltaics (FPV) is a growing niche, but within that niche, like a Russian doll, is the smaller but growing niche. similar growth of offshore FPV.
While FPV projects on freshwater lakes and reservoirs have now been installed in over 40 countries, offshore FPV does not have the luxury of such calm and protected waters, meaning that the equipment for offshore applications must be of exceptional and specialized quality.
Fortunately, the technology for these applications is improving rapidly. And given a 2020 NREL study that estimated the FPV potential on hydropower reservoirs at 7.6 TW, there has not yet been a serious calculation for the potential of offshore FPV, but one would think that the number is enormous.
Unlocking this enormous potential depends on making the appropriate technological advancements to develop offshore FPV networks capable of withstanding ocean waves and winds. But companies are not lacking on the file. Take the German wave energy technology company Sinn Power GmbH, which recently unveiled its first floating oceanic hybrid platform, which combines wave, wind and solar energy.
A G8 spokesperson said pv magazine that the practical tracks of Modular Tractive Buoyancy (MTB) technology, as well as the subsea stabilization system and the high voltage subsea electrical connection to the floating hybrid power plant “have proven their worth in Singapore with the Sunseap Woodlands project. A 5 MW photovoltaic system with a 20 MW marine substation installed in early 2020 off the north coast of Singapore.
“Our goal,†continued the spokesperson, “is to use this hybrid concept to increase the power generation capacity up to 2 times that of a normal floating solar power plant… G8 is currently in a study for Advanced engineering with WookYung Engineering and Construction of South Korea will build a 3 MW turbine combined with 1 MW solar power on a stabilized platform.
On the research side, scientists from Malta Institute for Sustainable Energy have developed a simulation tool to assess the effect of the response movement of waves in offshore floating photovoltaic systems.
Or G8 Subsea (G8), a Singaporean company specializing in the engineering and construction of underwater energy infrastructure that connects offshore wind and floating photovoltaic (FPV) projects to land. The company has announced its pipeline of projects until 2024 and the list contains ambitious FPV projects.
The projects include the 75 MW Sarawak FPV grid in Malaysia, offered to Sarawak Energy and a 100 MW FPV project in Ghana. On the engineering side, the company is also involved in the 145 MW Pandan FPV project in Singapore and the supply of floating substations for the 145 MW Cirata FPV network in Indonesia.
The G8 said pv magazine that discussions on these projects are at an advanced stage but that more information is currently contained in non-disclosure agreements. However, engineering and construction work on the site is expected to begin “next year once concerns about the global pandemic have subsided.” Of course, at the current rate, the global pandemic is unlikely to abate next year.
The G8 is targeting an initial public offering (IPO) in mid-2022, as it is considering firm investments. “We are facing the biggest energy transition timeline of our generation,†said G8 Founder and CEO Gerald Tan, “and it’s about solving a global problem, developing better and better sources of energy. more durable. An IPO will allow us to enter the global renewable energy arena – we want to play internationally – not just nationally -. The growth prospects for this industry are limitless, and a public listing would allow us to better take advantage of this growth. ”
“We are the only company to offer a combination of offshore wind and floating solar solutions… Few companies have the specialized engineering know-how to compete in the offshore market, but we have exclusive expertise in sub-engineering. marine and under construction. It bodes well for our future.
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