Europe's largest floating solar farm to open in Portugal in July

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A vast, 12,000-panel floating solar farm roughly the size of four football pitches has been moved into place on the Alqueva reservoir in Portugal, as the country pushes ahead with plans to reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports. 

Built by the country's main utility EDP on the largest artificial lake in Western Europe, which is itself used for hydropower, the floating panels will produce 7.5 GWh of power per year and are to be complemented by 2 GWh of lithium battery storage and will be switched on in July.

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With its many hours of sunshine, lengthy coast and Atlantic winds, Portugal has made great leaps in its energy transition. Although the country uses almost no Russian hydrocarbons, its gas-fired power stations are still hit by rising fuel costs.

EDP group director for the solar project Miguel Patena said that the energy produced would cost a third of that from a gas-fired plant. The floating farm will supply renewable energy to 1,500 homes, or one-third of nearby towns of Moura and Portel.

Installing floating solar farms on reservoirs used for hydroelectricity is especially cost-effective as they are able to connect to the grid using existing links. Excess energy will be stored for later use or used to pump water up into the lake. 

EDP executive board member Ana Paula Marques said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had demonstrated the need to speed up the shift to renewable energy.

She said the Alqueva project was part of EDP's strategy "to go 100% green by 2030", with hydropower and other renewables now accounting for 78% of EDP's 25.6 GW of installed capacity.

Read more: Consortium to build major green hydrogen & ammonia facility in Portugal

EDP was something of a pioneer in seeing the potential for how hydro and solar could complement one another. In 2017, the company set up a pilot project, installing a floating solar farm of 840 panels on the Alto Rabagao dam, the first of its kind in Europe.

In April, EDP secured the right to build a second floating farm with 70 MW installed capacity. 

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