EDP to add energy storage to Portuguese floating solar-hydro hybrid

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
EDP energised the 5MW Alqueva floating solar project (pictured) last week. Image: EDP

Portuguese utility EDP is to add energy storage to a hybrid floating solar and hydropower project after it was energised last week.

EDP completed the installation of a 5MW floating solar array at a hydropower dam in Alqueva. The FPV facility occupies around 4 hectares of space – equivalent to less than 0.02% of the reservoir area – and the solar aspect of the power station is expected to produce around 7.5GWh of power each year.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Now having completed the installation, which involved a total investment of €6 million (US$6.07 million), EDP is to next add a 1MW/2MWh battery energy storage system. Once complete, all three technologies will share a single grid connection point, which EDP said would promote “asset optimisation and efficiency while reducing environmental impacts”.

Miguel Stilwell d’Andrade, CEO at EDP, labelled the project an “example of innovation and sustainability” and hailed floating solar as a “landmark leap” in the expansion of renewables.

“[The] bet on hybridisation, by combining electricity produced from water, sun, wind and storage, is a logical path of growth in which EDP will continue to invest – it allows us to produce cheaper energy, optimises resources and with minimal environmental impact.”

The Alqueva project uses floats made from recycled plastic combined with cork composites, a method of producing floats for FPV which is being trialled for the first time. They have been produced in partnership with composites firm Corticeira Amorim and Spanish engineering business Isigenere.

The floats are 15% lighter than previous designs and reduce the carbon footprint of the project by about 30%.

The project also precedes a considerably larger FPV installation set for Alqueva, a 70MW array awarded to EDP in Portugal’s floating solar auction earlier this year.

EDP said this 5MW array had helped to accelerate investment in floating solar and was “opening doors” in further auctions.  

Floating solar installations are increasing globally, driven by a mix of land scarcity, falling project costs and developers, planners and financiers becoming altogether more familiar with the technology. Synergies with hydropower facilities are also strongly expected to emerge, with a number of developers and utilities having already identified the potential for hybrid power projects.

Read Next

October 6, 2025
An expert panel has identified a series of grid failures that led to April's unprecedented power outage in Spain and Portugal, ruling out renewables as the leading cause.
September 30, 2025
SynergyRED, a wholly owned subsidiary of Synergy, has submitted a development application for a 2GW hybrid renewable energy project in Western Australia's Mid-West Region.
September 29, 2025
Burns & McDonnell examines the outlook of the utility-scale solar sector amidst the latest policy and tariff changes.
September 26, 2025
Residential solar and energy storage could meet all the projected demand from US data centres over the next five years if tech companies invest in household energy infrastructure.
September 26, 2025
Global grids have failed to keep pace with renewable energy technologies and have become the “bottleneck of the energy transition”, according to a new policy report from the Global Solar Council (GSC).
September 25, 2025
Developer ACE Power and Osaka Gas Energy Australia have submitted plans for a 100MW solar-plus-storage project to Australia’s EPBC Act.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland