Maldives resort islands expand solar to meet half of power demand
The Fari Islands in the Maldives are developing a mix of floating and ground-mounted solar installations expected to meet up to 50% of the archipelago’s electricity demand on sunny days. The systems form part of a broader plan to expand renewable energy use across the four-island resort development.
The Fari Islands in the Maldives are developing a mix of floating and ground-mounted solar installations expected to meet up to 50% of the archipelago’s electricity demand on sunny days. The systems form part of a broader plan to expand renewable energy use across the four-island resort development.
The total solar capacity on the Fari Islands in the Maldives is expected to triple to 6.4 MW by the end of the year.
The four-island archipelago, located in the North Malé Atoll, hosts several hotels including Capella Hotel Group's Patina Maldives, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, and the Fari Campus.
The hotels partnered with Swimsol, a solar energy provider in the Maldives, and floating solar developer SolarSea to install solar arrays across the islands. Once completed, the systems will supply up to 50% of the islands’ electricity demand on sunny days.
Several solar projects are scheduled for completion this year. One includes a floating solar plant to be installed on the sea near the Fari Campus. It will consist of 40 platforms and 2,160 photovoltaic modules, designed to supply 24% of the islands’ total energy needs. The system will also include battery storage.
Developers are also building land-based photovoltaic systems, with 1.2 MW of capacity planned across 19 residential and community buildings.
Image: Patina Maldives, Fari Islands
Patina Maldives plans to power its entire resort with solar energy. The resort is developing nearly 3 MW of capacity, including 980 kW of solar panels on the eastern part of the island and another 2 MW on rooftops throughout the property.
The Ritz-Carlton Maldives added rooftop solar on 61 ocean villas in September. Additional panels were installed on the resort’s restaurant and dive center, bringing the system’s total output to 983 kW.
The Maldives had installed 69 MW of solar capacity by the end of 2024, up from 55 MW the previous year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). In February, the Ministry of Finance and Planning issued a tender for up to 150 MW of solar.
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