Ciel & Terre units to power EDP’s 4MW floating plant in Portugal

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
EDP's proposals would see 10,000 panels built over Ciel&Terre platforms at the Alqueva reservoir (Credit: Flickr / Honza Soukup)

EDP could develop one of Portugal’s first utility-scale floating PV farms if its blueprints receive the planning all-clear.

Authorities of the Alentejo region will consult until 28 June on the energy giant’s proposals for a 4MW floating installation by the Alqueva dam, one of Europe’s largest.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

If accepted, the scheme would roll out some 10,000 panels across five clusters, set at a 13.5-metre distance from each other. EDP's preference would be for 385W half-cell PERC modules.

The complex would float on a HDPE [high-density polyethylene] structure, featuring an off-shore 30kV inverter unit linked to the shore via additional cabling.

The HYDRELIO platform, to be provided by floating specialist Ciel & Terre, would be moored to the reservoir floor through 7,500-kilogram weights placed across 12 separate points.

Construction due to launch in early 2020

According to EDP, construction would begin in early 2020 and take three months. Once completed, the installation would float at a four-hectare site at the southern tip of the Alqueva reservoir.

The floating PV scheme is the latest in Portugal, a country said to host last year a 7.2GW hydropower sector. At 220kW, EDP’s earlier project in the Alto Rabagão reservoir was far smaller.

Beyond the country, attention is building around the potential of the 1GW-plus global floating solar industry. Within the past month alone, projects have made strides in at least Malawi, California and the Seychelles.

From solar boats to waterlily-like membranes, reservoir covers and co-location with hydro, the approaches followed by firms are growing more diverse; questions remain over the financial viability, however.

As for EDP, the floating PV push comes as the Portuguese giant works to deploy a 2GW solar pipeline worldwide by 2022. Renewable plays will be partly funded via sales of thermal power plants, among other assets.

See here for more information on the floating PV scheme proposed by EDP

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

June 27, 2025
Statkraft has signed PPAs with Better Energy to purchase energy from two solar power plants in Poland with a total capacity of 64GWh.
June 27, 2025
PV Tech spoke to Monika Paplaczyk about recent changes in the UK energy mix and opportunities for investors in the solar sector.
Premium
June 27, 2025
PV Talk: '2024 was a transformational year in terms of energy policy,' says Monika Paplaczyk ahead of this year's Clean Power 2030 Summits.
Premium
June 26, 2025
Carlos Rodriguez, Oktoviano Gandhi and Sun Huixuan examine the energy yield performance of different FPV system configurations.
June 26, 2025
Solar irradiation in Western Europe has increased by 50% above-average during Spring, according to an analysis by weather data and software provider Solargis.
June 26, 2025
Nextracker will supply solar tracker systems to a 550MW solar PV project in the Greek province of Western Macedonia, owned by Greek renewables developer PPC Renewables.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
July 2, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico