Sungrow unveils floating solar array at RE+, specialised for the North American market

September 15, 2023
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A 13MW floating solar project in Malaysia. Image: Sungrow Floating PV

Chinese power company Sungrow has unveiled its latest floating solar system at the RE+ event in Las Vegas, which it said is “suitable for the North American market”.

The new floating modules, produced by Sungrow Floating PV, the company’s floating solar wing, can support a snow load of between 0.32-1.65kN/m2, a measure of how much force a surface can endure without breaking.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

A 2018 report from the British Columbia Building Code, which operates in Canada, reported that the average weight on rooves of new snowfall in Canada was around 1kN/m2, and considering much of North America receives less snowfall than in Canada, it is likely Sungrow’s new modules will be able to endure the majority of snowfall across the continent.

The company also noted that the latest modules build on the materials and standardisation processes used in previous floating solar arrays, improving the installation efficiency by 15% over older models.

“Under the demand of North America’s energy transition and the trend of carbon neutrality, Sungrow Floating PV is committed to driving North America towards a green future with cutting-edge technology and reliable products,” said Wang Lei, deputy general manager of Sungrow Floating PV.

The news follows Sungrow Floating PV’s supply of 192MW of floating modules to the Cirata project in Indonesia, a vital proof of concept for the floating solar sector, which has historically received significant interest, but little investment in large-scale projects. Considering the dramatically different climatic conditions in much of North America, compared to the Asia-Pacific region, Sungrow will be hopeful that its latest product can function in such a radically different climate.

The reveal of the new array could also help expand the small US floating solar sector. In June this year, the US celebrated the launch of its largest floating solar project, NJR Clean Energy Ventures’ 8.9MW Canoe Brook project in the state of New Jersey.

While this is an important milestone, the small capacity of this project means much of the US’ floating solar potential is untapped; in 2022, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated that building floating solar panels on just one-quarter of the US’ reservoirs would produce around one-tenth of the electricity the country currently generates. The deployment of specialised floating solar projects, such as those developed by Sungrow Floating PV, could be vital if the sector is to live up to its potential.

16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

October 23, 2025
US solar manufacturer T1 Energy sold approximately 725MW of solar modules in Q3 2025, as it continues to expand US manufacturing capabilities.
October 22, 2025
Recurrent Energy, Ampliform and Dimension Energy have announced new financing rounds this month for US solar projects.
October 22, 2025
Leeward Renewable Energy has started commercial operations at its 177MW Ridgely solar project in the US state of Tennessee.
October 22, 2025
US thin-film manufacturer First has revealed another transfer of its 45X manufacturing tax credits in a deal worth around US$775 million.
October 22, 2025
Abigail Ross Hopper, the president and CEO of US trade association the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), has decided to step down from her roles at the end of January 2026.
October 21, 2025
Cypress Creek Renewables has achieved financial close on its 75MW Sundance solar-plus-storage project in Elbert County, Colorado.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Lisbon, Portugal