Taiwan's Changbin 3 & 4: Floating Solar Success

• Hexa Renewables and Ciel & Terre Taiwan expand floating solar farm in Taiwan, overcoming challenges of tidal changes and typhoons. A groundbreaking 192MW project in Changbin Industrial Park.

Hexa Renewables and Ciel & Terre Taiwan have completed an extension to a floating solar farm in Taiwan, located in the Changbin Industrial Park in Changhua county. The Changbin 3 and 4 projects, totaling 192MW, began construction in October 2022 and achieved the first COD in October 2023. The project covers 171 hectares of water surface in a challenging near-shore floating photovoltaic (FPV) zone, accounting for tidal changes and occasional typhoons.

Ciel & Terre Taiwan partnered with Taiwanese suppliers for the design, manufacturing, and construction support of the FPV plant and anchoring system. The project managers ensured proper assembly and inspection of the Hydrelio floating platform, with three engineers on-site providing training. The Changbin 3 and 4 projects are part of a larger 440MW FPV project, extending the Changbin FPV project built in 2020 in the same area.

What challenges were faced in extending the floating solar farm in Taiwan?

• One of the main challenges faced in extending the floating solar farm in Taiwan was accounting for tidal changes in the near-shore location. This required careful planning and design to ensure the stability and efficiency of the floating photovoltaic (FPV) system.
• Another challenge was the occasional occurrence of typhoons in the region, which required the project managers to implement additional safety measures to protect the floating solar farm from potential damage during extreme weather events.
• Partnering with Taiwanese suppliers for the design, manufacturing, and construction support of the FPV plant and anchoring system presented its own set of challenges, including coordinating logistics and ensuring quality control throughout the process.
• Proper assembly and inspection of the Hydrelio floating platform was crucial for the success of the project, requiring on-site engineers to provide training and oversight to ensure that all components were installed correctly and met safety standards.
• The extension of the Changbin floating solar farm is part of a larger 440MW FPV project, which required careful coordination and planning to seamlessly integrate the new projects with the existing infrastructure from the original 2020 installation.