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Itaipu Binacional Begins Installation of Its First Floating Solar Plant on the Paraguayan Side of the Reservoir, with 2,000 Solar Panels and 1 MWp of Power. Project Brings Innovation, Scientific Research, and Clean Generation to Supply Up to 650 Houses.
Itaipu Binacional has taken an unprecedented step towards energy diversification by starting the construction of its first floating solar plant in history, installed on the Paraguayan side of the hydropower reservoir. The pilot project will occupy nearly 10,000 m², with approximately 2,000 high-power solar panels capable of generating 1 MWp – enough energy to supply around 650 households.
In addition to reinforcing the power plant’s commitment to renewable energies, the initiative inaugurates a new technological and scientific phase, with environmental research, binational business models, and floating structural tests on one of the most strategically important water bodies in Latin America.
Floating Technology at Scale
The project has been bid out and will be executed by the Sunlution-Luxacril consortium, which will have 150 days to complete the installation of the structure and an additional 180 days for technical support and training. To ensure stability amid the natural variations of the reservoir, the platform will use 86 concrete buoys, totaling 430 tons, anchored by steel cables to the bottom of the lake.
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The system will employ JA Solar photovoltaic modules of 705 Wp each (model JAM66D46-705/LB) and Huawei SUN2000-330KTL-H1 inverters, state-of-the-art equipment used in large solar plants worldwide. The floating structure will be based on Hydrelio floats, provided by the French company Ciel et Terre, a global reference in this type of technology.
The solar energy generated will be connected directly to the MD Substation of Itaipu, allowing for immediate internal use of clean energy by the hydropower plant.
Easy Access and Safe Maintenance
To facilitate monitoring and maintenance of the floating solar plant, the project will include an access walkway between the ground and the floating structure, allowing for periodic technical visits safely, without the need for additional boats or aquatic transport.
According to Itaipu Binacional’s Superintendent of Renewable Energies, Rogério Meneghetti, the goal is to ensure high performance with minimal environmental impact. “It’s a system designed with attention to every technical detail, efficiency, and sustainability,” he stated in an exclusive interview with Canal Solar.
Ongoing Environmental Studies
As it is an environmentally sensitive area, the project is still awaiting environmental licensing, with detailed studies underway. Among the main indicators being monitored are:
- Trophic state index of the water
- CCME water quality index
- Presence and diversity of aquatic species
- Reproductive activity of fish
- Presence of exotic species
- Turbidity and oxygenation of the water
This data will be essential to assess the ecological viability of the floating plant and its possible future expansions in the Itaipu reservoir or in other bodies of water in Brazil and Paraguay.
Binational Focus Scientific Project
The floating plant of Itaipu Binacional will also serve as a technological research platform in partnership with Itaipu Parquetec and the Technological Park Itaipu – PY.
Universities will have access to the project with research grants aimed at comparative performance analysis between land-based and floating systems, impact on the internal network of the plant, regulatory studies, and even feasibility of coupling with batteries for solar energy storage.
“It’s a pilot project with enormous replication potential. We will monitor not only the generation but also the regulatory, environmental, and technical impacts,” explained Meneghetti.
National and International Reference
The model of the plant was developed based on references such as the Technical Note from EPE (Energy Research Company) on floating systems, consolidating Itaipu as a reference institution in the development of solar energy over water.
With this initiative, the hydropower plant expands its role beyond traditional hydropower generation, establishing itself as a living laboratory of energy innovation, where water and sun work together to compose a clean, resilient, and integrated matrix.
Energy Transformation in the Heart of South America
By installing its first floating solar plant, Itaipu Binacional begins a new chapter in the region’s energy history. The project, with its almost 10,000 m² of solar panels over water, represents the union of engineering, science, and environmental preservation to transform the way we generate electricity.
The expectation is that, following the success of the pilot phase, new floating solar units can be deployed in the reservoir and in other plants across the continent, paving the way for a sustainable energy revolution from the water.
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