Portugal Largest Floating Solar Plant is Ready To Generate Energy

The Portugal-based electric utility company, Energias de Portugal’s (EDP) floating solar plant in Alqueva (South Portugal) is ready to produce electricity after seven months of construction work. According to the company, this is a significant step in the advancement of renewable energies has been made with the start of operation of this project. Along with it, the company also claims that it is the largest dam reservoir in all of Europe. It also strengthens EDP’s commitment to innovation and the energy transition.

The new platform has close to 12,000 photovoltaic panels and occupies 4 hectares or about 0.016% of the Alqueva reservoir’s total area. It has an installed power of 5 MW, which can produce about 7.5 GWh annually.

With a six million euro investment, the current solar project stands out for its use of floating solar technology and the hybridization idea. A battery system with a nominal power of 1 MW and a storage capacity of roughly 2 MWh is also going to be installed. This project will increase the amount of energy produced from this reservoir, creating 300 GWh yearly.

The Alqueva project stands out for its commitment to innovation in the composites made of recycled plastic and cork that support the solar panels.

The use of resources and the growth of renewable energies, which help reduce reliance on other energy sources and quicken the energy transition process, are made possible by floating solar technology. This large-scale project in Alqueva is thus consistent with EDP’s aim of investing in innovative and renewable projects to achieve 100% green status by 2030.

“The development of floating solar technology represents a tremendous advance in the expansion of renewables and the acceleration of the decarbonization process. Furthermore, EDP will keep investing in our hybridization strategy, which combines storage, water, solar, and wind to increase energy production. The new project that was selected in the first floating solar auction in Alqueva, Portugal will soon strengthen the creativity and sustainability of Alqueva”, says Miguel Stilwell d’Andrade, CEO of EDP.

Portugal is hoping to bid out almost 500 MW of floating solar plant on water bodies across the country between 2021 and 2023.