Portugal launches Europe’s largest floating solar park

Solar park The largest in Europe is one of Portugal’s plans to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels, which have risen sharply since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine.

Recently, two tugboats moved a system of 12,000 plates solar battery, a total area equivalent to 4 football fields, to the Alqueva Dam. This floating structure, installed by Portugal’s EDP Electric Group, has an installed capacity of 5 Megawatts.

With sunny and windy weather conditions from the Atlantic, Portugal is accelerating the transition to use recycled energy. Although the country uses almost no Russian hydrocarbons, gas-fired thermal power plants are still affected somewhat by higher fuel prices.

Mr. Miguel Patena, EDP Director in charge of the project Solarsaid the floating park’s electricity output would be about 30% of the electricity output of a gas-fired thermal power plant.

The panels on the Alqueva Dam are estimated to produce 7.5 GWh of electricity per year and will be supplemented with lithium batteries to store 2 GWh of solar electricity.

This largest floating solar park in Europe will help Portugal reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels. (Photo: Reuters)

The project will power 1,500 homes or meet more than 30% of the electricity needs of the neighboring towns of Moura and Portel.

EDP ​​board member Ana Paula Marques said the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.

The project on the Alqueva Dam is also part of EDP’s strategy to achieve its goal of producing 100% clean energy by 2030.

Hydropower and other renewable energy sources currently account for 78% of the total installed capacity of EDP 25.6 GW.

EDP ​​has also planned to expand the Alqueva project. Last April, this group determined a location to build a second floating solar farm with an installed capacity of 70MW.

In 2017, EDP installed a floating solar power plant with a total of 840 solar panels on the water of the Alto Rabagao Dam. This is the first project of its kind in Europe.

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