UPDATED 1 Sept: The EI library in London is temporarily closed to the public, as a precautionary measure in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The Knowledge Service will still be answering email queries via email , or via live chats during working hours (09:15-17:00 GMT). Our e-library is always open for members here: eLibrary , for full-text access to over 200 e-books and millions of articles. Thank you for your patience.
New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Europe’s largest floating solar power plant commissioned in Portugal
20/7/2022
News
EDP’s floating solar power plant in Alqueva, southern Portugal, is ready to start generating power. Claimed to be the largest floating solar park on a hydroelectric dam reservoir in Europe, the project has almost 12,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels covering an area of 4 hectares and will supply more than 30% of the population in the region.
The €6mn solar PV platform has an installed power of 5 MW and the capacity to produce around 7.5 GWh/y. EDP is also planning to install a battery system with a nominal power of 1 MW and a storage capacity of around 2 MWh. All the technologies will use one single connection point to the existing grid, promoting asset optimisation and efficiency while reducing environmental impacts, explains the company.
In addition, EDP also plans to install up to 154 MW of renewable capacity in a hybrid farm, including 70 MW of floating solar PV and 70 MW of wind capacity. It claims this would allow the project to generate 300 GWh/y, supplying 92,000 homes and avoiding the emission of more than 133,000 tonnes of CO2.
The Alqueva project has been designed with sustainability in mind. The floaters that support the solar panels are made from recycled plastic combined with cork composites, which is reported to have reduced the weight of the platform by 15% and helped to decrease the carbon footprint of the project by about 30%.
