Ciel et Terre starts building 2.5 MW of floating PV in Japan

The French floating PV specialist — known for its proprietary Hydrelio floating platforms — is developing the project on a pond in Tsu, Mie prefecture. China’s JinkoSolar will supply the PV modules, while Spanish manufacturer Power Electronics Espana SL has been tapped to provide inverters. Osaka-based Super Tool ECO will handle EPC duties.

All electricity will be sold to Nagoya-based utility Chubu Electric Power for a period of 20 years at a feed-in tariff (FIT) rate of JPY 24 ($0.22)/kWh. Upon completion in November, the installation is expected to generate 2.27 GWh of electricity per year, according to Ciel et Terre’s website.

Separately, the company — which is based just outside of the French city of Lille — completed a 973 kW floating PV array in Tenri, Nara prefecture. REC Solar supplied the PV modules, while Power Electronics Espana SL provided inverters. Tokyo-based Eco Holdings served as EPC contractor.

All electricity from the project will be sold to regional utility Kansai Electric Power over a period of 20 years at a FIT rate of JPY 27/kWh. The installation is expected to generate roughly 1.07 GWh of electricity per year.

Ciel et Terre has worked on numerous floating solar projects, including several installations built in cooperation with Kyocera. Last October, it announced plans to develop Taiwan’s first floating PV project, in cooperation with GermanSolar Asia. The 5 MW array was built on a reservoir near the southern city of Kaohsiung.