G8 Subsea Delivers World’s First Floating Solar Offshore Substation Platform

September 13, 2020 | Renewables | Energy Facts Staff Writer | 2min

G8 Subsea Delivers World’s first Floating Solar Offshore Substation Platform to Pioneering Sunseap Project in Singapore

A major step forwards in floating solar is being established under G8‘s GW Solar engineering initiatives through the delivery of the world’s first modular floating substation designed for the future expansion of offshore floating solar plants at industrial scale on water.

G8‘s advanced modular Floating Transformer Platform (FTP) is marine engineered to hold stable and exact positioning of up to 20MW capacity of solar plant equipment and power inverters under marine conditions while allowing maintenance and expansion capabilities to the plant. G8‘s FTP technology features a number of engineering innovation utilizing proprietary Stable Tension Mooring System (STM) that is able to hold the floating platform stable in position under varied tidal and the extremes of offshore conditions.

The twin level platform with over 430 square meters of deck space features a state of the art visitor center with a viewing gallery on the 2nd level while the 1st level holds the centralized transformer with ACDB equipment as part the client’s (Sunseap) requirements

This is a major milestone in floating solar engineering on the Sunseap’s 5MW OFPV project that brings the entire offshore Floating solar PV (FPV) industry one step closer on safe and efficient power transmission to the grid by installing the first of its kind floating substation which is stationed near by 5MW OFPV park at Straits between Singapore and Johor.

The platform is a first of its kind and will act as a floating modular substation equipped with transformer, maintenance and monitoring and AC junction boxes, that step-up the power and transmits to the grid. The Floating Transformer Platform (FTP) receives the cable from FPV through specially designed two inter-array cable chutes on the port side of the platform and the power export cable will be laid through the export cable chute which is located midship & starboard side. The 22kV power cable features G8’s proprietary dynamic subsea power cable protection systems to ensure maximum protection to the subsea cable.

G8’s Subsea Projects Manager Mohan Panayamadam commented “Being an integral part of this project for Sunseap, this validates our teams innovation in floating platform engineering and technologies while providing a cost-effective Engineering, Procurement and Installation solution to the market that can be upscaled for further Floating Solar and Renewable Energy Projects in Singapore and the region”.

G8 Subsea Managing Director Gerald Tan commented: ”We are proud to be part of this pioneering project with our leading partners, Sunseap and ISOteam to provide our engineering strengths to Floating Platform and underwater installation expertise. We believe the FTP concept will showcase its significance in the expansion of floating solar and advancement in stabilized floating platform technologies.

​G8 Subsea is Asia’s leading subsea technology company focused on developing and constructing offshore renewable energy projects across the region. Headquartered in Singapore, G8 provides industry leading engineering solutions to offshore wind and solar and holds global patents to floating platform stabilization and subsea cable protection systems to accelerate the development of floating solar, offshore renewables and subsea power infrastructures.