CIRATA FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANT

Pioneering Large Scale Floating PV Project in Region

The Cirata 145MWac (192 MWp) is the first large scale commercial Floating Solar Photovoltaic Project in Indonesia. Developed, Constructed and Operated by PT Pembangkitan Jawa Bali Masdar Solar Energi (PMSE).

Why Floating PV?

Easier space acquisition
Acquiring space for large scale solar on water surface is easier compared to land
Conserves useful land
Using water space for large scale PV could conserve land for other useful purposes
Conserves water by reducing evaporation
Reduces water loss during drought due to evaporation by absorbing sunlight to produce power
Good combination with hydroelectricity
Complements hydroelectricity powerplants in both seasonal and operation characteristic
Numerous potential in Indonesia
Indonesia has a lot of water space all across the country that can be used for floating solar power plants.

FPV Potential in Indonesia

Indonesia has more than 192 dams and reservoirs, with a total area of 86,247 hectares which has high potential for use as a floating solar power plant, with a capacity of 17,200 MWp

General Project
Information

The project aims to become a pioneer and kickstart large scale clean energy projects, especially solar power plants in Indonesia that has competitive tariff to pursue indonesian government target of net zero emissions by the year 2060
The Cirata Floating PV Project is located in West Java, Indonesia. Specifically in West Bandung Regency and Purwakarta Regency.
The location is about 120km from Jakarta. or about 80km from bandung.
The Cirata Floating PV Projects is located on Cirata Hydroelectric Reservoir, a large scale hydro power that consist of 8 (eight) francis turbine with total capacity of 1008 MW.
The Cirata Hydroelectric was constructed by Indonesian state owned electricity Company (PLN) in 1988.
The Cirata Floating PV project currently utilize about 250 Ha of the 6200 Ha Cirata Hydroelectric reservoir water surface, which equals to about 4% of area coverage.
The power plant has the capacity of 145 MWac / 192 MWp. it consist of more than 340.000 PV modules with each module having a capacity of 560 Wp.
it also consists of 49 central inverters with each inverter having a capacity of 3400 KVA
the Cirata Floating PV Project is expected to produce 250 - 300 GWh of zero emission electricity for at least 25 years of operations that is able to supply about 50.000 typical indonesian homes.
the plant also saves 214.000 tons of CO2 emission per year.
the Project is producing electricity to single offtaker by means of Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA) contract between project company and Indonesian Utility for 25 years.
the Project is funded by combination of equity from project sponsors and also from consortium of international lenders

Design and Technologies

The Cirata Project is using latest cutting edge technology of solar modules that was designed to meet harsher environment of floating solar power plant. There are about 340.000 modules installed on the project. The characteristics of the panels are as follows:
- Efficiency of 21%
- Double glass to ensure strength and rigidity
- POA encapsulation for humidity protection
- N-Type cell to reduce PID effect
- 30 years Power Warranty by manufacturer
All floating elements of the plant is moored by 2100 anchors which are made from concrete blocks manufactured on-site
Energy collected from solar panels are converted into usable AC using central inverters. In total, there are 49 installed on site and offshore. The specifications of the inverters are as follows:
- Rated capacity of 3400 KVA (3125 KW / 2500 KVAR)
- Input / Output at 1500 Vdc / 600 Vac
- MPPT number = 2
- Capable of generating VAR at night

The project uses series of floating systems to keep all elements in place.
- PV panels utilize 1:1 modular floating system. The floating modules are made from the recyclable HDPE and is safe for the environment. Modules are also infused with fire retardant and anti UV
- Cable floaters which have the same characteristics as PV floaters, with different design to serve different purpose. These floaters are used to float three phase cables and are spaced more sparsely to allow more movement
- Inverter floaters are made of painted galvanized steel to carry heavier load of inverter and transformer and protect from environment. These floaters consist of multiple independent modules to improve resilience and transportability. Also equipped with oil containers in case of transformer leaks
The system consists of numerous sensors and measurement devices and is remotely controlled from an onshore control room. Operators have full visibility of the plant's operations through the SCADA system, ensuring seamless monitoring and control.
The plant is connected to the 150kV Java-Bali network via 3.2 km of transmission lines. The infrastructure includes a single tower with a double-circuit design, ensuring reliable power transmission.

Construction Process

History of Cirata Floating Solar Power Plant

2012

The first vision of developing large scale floating solar power plant in Cirata was first coined.
2014

PT PJB initiated large scale solar power plant by developing and constructing the first megawatt scale of solar power plant in Indonesia in 2013.
2017

Once the technology become mature and bankable, the full scale feasibility study for large scale floating solar was conducted
2019

Partnership agreement was made between sponsor to develop, construct and operate large scale floating solar power plant in Cirata reservoir.
2020

Signing of Power Purchase Agreement between Consortium and Off Taker has made.
2021

The project construction was kicked off.
2023

The construction finished and the plant was first synchronized to grid on October 2023, and commence fully commercial operation on November 2023
2024

First year of Operation and Maintenance