Ocean Sun to build 2MW floating solar project for Statkraft in Albania

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Ocean Sun has been hired by utility giant Statkraft to build a 2MW floating solar installation at the Banja reservoir, in central Albania.

Pending final regulatory approval, the deal sealed between the Norwegian duo should see four 0.5MW PV units delivered between this year and next, at total costs of €2.3 million.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The installations represent the first major commercial contract for Ocean Sun, a floating PV specialist founded in 2016 and backed since by grant money from Innovation Norway and others.

The firm believes its design of choice – sea-anchored, thin-polymer membranes that can be towed around to adapt to the water environment – acts as a buffer against strong winds and other sources of mechanical stress. Contact with water helps cool off solar cells and boost performance compared to ground-mounted units, Ocean Sun said.   

The floating park, supported under Albania’s feed-in-tariff programme, will sit at the reservoir that has hosted Statkraft’s 73MW hydropower plant since 2016.

According to Statkraft CEO Christian Rynning-Tønnesen, the floating PV technology may be rolled out across further locations if “it is proven successful” and achieves its “potential for cost-competitiveness.”

For the Norwegian utility, the news on Albania emerges amid a broader drive to take its PV portfolio past the 2GW mark by 2025. The goal, to be mostly delivered through European projects, has seen the firm sign PPAs with Iberian projects including BayWa r.e.’s.

Ocean Sun's CFO Bard Johansen and Statkraft's SVP for Solar are confirmed speakers at PV Tech's Large Scale Solar Summit, taking place in Lisbon on 26-27 March. See here for more information and tickets. 

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

August 29, 2025
The first half of 2025 has been the strongest year for UK solar energy generation on record, according to a new report think tank Ember.
August 28, 2025
State-owned firm Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has launched a tender for the construction of a 280MW floating PV (FPV) project.
August 27, 2025
Independent power producer RP Global is building a 50MWp solar project in Harbke, Germany.
August 27, 2025
Solargis' Marcel Suri reports on the mixing of datasets in solar project planning to artificially enhance financial attractiveness.
August 27, 2025
Norwegian energy company Statkraft has sold its Netherlands solar portfolio of 120MWp to Dutch renewable energy supplier Greenchoice.
August 27, 2025
Noria has started construction on a 50kW floating PV pilot project, which includes the first trackers on a floating solar project in the US.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines