Apr 22, 2026 - Taking Solar to the Sea — The Full Story
The full story behind SolarSea® — from a violin in Vienna to 2.4 MW of solar panels floating at sea in the Maldives. Founder Martin Putschek tells how the idea began in 2009, how the first floating solar platform at sea was installed in 2014, and what it took to convince Maldivian resorts that solar could replace diesel — one island at a time. The team shares what it actually takes to build a megawatt-scale solar system on the ocean: the storms, the logistics, the years of trial and error. Today, SolarSea® runs across ten locations worldwide — most in the Maldives, with installations in Indonesia and Chile, and expansion underway in the Seychelles and beyond. The 2.4 MW system at Cheval Blanc Randheli is the largest floating solar array at sea, saving the resort an estimated USD 1.5 million per year in diesel costs.