Floating solar unit partly submerged at Banja hydropower reservoir, Albania

A 0.5MWp floating solar unit, the first phase of a planned 2MWp floating solar project on the Banja hydropower reservoir in Albania, was damaged and partly submerged a few weeks after being connected to the Albanian grid in early June 2021. The floater, fitted with around 1,600 panels and supplied by Ocean Sun for project partner Statkraft, failed in a way that partly submerged its ring and two connected barges, and the unit was retrieved ashore. A root cause analysis by Ocean Sun concluded that wind speeds exceeded the design criteria applied for the installation, identifying weather conditions as the main cause. The source does not report any injuries. Ocean Sun said design modifications and new operational practices were planned, with third-party meteorological and naval architecture review of the revised design.

Wind speeds during the incident are reported to have exceeded the design criteria used for the floating solar structure at the Banja hydropower reservoir site.

1. Design criteria for floating solar structures should be validated against site-specific extreme weather data, including wind speeds, before installation.
2. Prompt root cause analysis after a structural failure helps identify design gaps and informs corrective action.
3. Independent verification of revised designs by third-party meteorological and naval architecture experts can support confidence before operations resume.

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