Chinese energy giant China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, also known as Sinopec, has commenced operations at a 7.5MW offshore floating PV (FPV) plant in China.
According to the company, this marks the first commercial offshore FPV project in a full-seawater environment. The plant is integrated with a nearby pile-based FPV plant already operational.
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Sinopec added that the project will serve as a “pioneering initiative” aimed at promoting FPV projects in coastal and shallow sea areas within full-seawater environments.
Located in the eastern province of Shandong, south of Beijing, the project covers nearly 60,000 square meters, while the design optimises seawater cooling and enhances power generation efficiency by 5-8% through the cooling effect.
The project also overcame three challenges of applying PV technology in seawater environments with specially engineered floats and supports resistant to salt mist corrosion and barnacle growth. The use of an anchoring system designed to withstand wind speeds of up to level 13 and accommodate tidal variations of 3.5 meters helped reduce the investment costs by nearly 10% compared to traditional pile-based PV systems.
Finally, the FPV project reduced operation and maintenance costs – compared to conventional systems – by building a streamlined inspection pathway for solar panels and with cables positioned close to the water’s surface.
The Chinese energy giant aims to further expand its portfolio of FPV projects and will build a 23MW FPV plant which will supply electricity to one of its green hydrogen plants.
Outside of China, offshore FPV has recently marked a milestone with the world’s first floating offshore solar-wind project finishing construction of the anchoring system by offshore PV specialist Oceans of Energy.
Located in the North Sea, off the Dutch coast, the FPV project has a 0.5MW capacity and is expected to be commissioned in Q3 2025.
