14 Years After Hydrelio, Floating Solar Specialist Ciel et Terre Launches Fusio

Ciel & Terre's  Fusio® has been pitched as an innovative honeycomb floating solar generation option that will support rhe next generation of floating solar power plants. 

A pioneer in floating solar, Ciel & Terre's  Fusio®, builds on the legacy of the French firm in the floating solar space, where its Hydrelio structures found wide worldwide acceptance and application.  

Hydrelio® was launched in 2011 as the world’s first industrialized floating solar solution. Fifteen years later,  the firm claims more than 1.4 GWp of projects have been installed, spread across over 340 floating solar power plants in more than 30 different countries.

Fusio®, according to the firm is the  result of the last 5 years when, Ciel & Terre’s R&D teams have been exploring new pathways to better meet the expectations of a rapidly growing market.

According to the firm, the strengths of Fusio® include:

1. A technical innovation inspired by bridge engineering

The triangular shape of the Fusio® structure draws inspiration from major principles of engineering and architecture (bridges, pyramids, or skyscrapers). It is the most stable and resilient geometric form to withstand external forces. Its honeycomb design provides outstanding mechanical strength and stability, while ensuring an optimal distribution of environmental loads across the structure.

2. Competitive Advantage In floating solar projects

With Fusion, the firm claims significant LCOE optimization, through a reduction in transport volumes and logistics costs thanks to its compact design, fast, large-scale production through an optimized manufacturing process that shortens lead times and accelerates project delivery.

Thanks to its reduced water footprint and the elevation of the PV modules above the surface, Fusio® also allows for better airflow underneath the panels, improving cooling and boosting energy production, up to +2% in high temperature conditions.

3. Re-engineered maintenance with the Catamaran

Because a floating solar plant must remain efficient throughout its lifetime, C&T have designed a unique maintenance solution for Fusio®: a catamaran specially developed to slide across the PV modules.

This exclusive boat operates directly on the floating structure, providing safe, fast, and easy access to every solar module, electrical equipment, and cables. The  R&D teams have also integrated smart features, such as onboard cleaning systems, to simplify maintenance and operations. This approach, the firm claims will ease inspections and decrease manual labor and improve safety.

Fusio® deployment outlook

Ciet & Terre claims that Fusio® will be particularly relevant and well-suited for markets such as India or Southeast Asia, where environmental and economic conditions favour its deployment.