Alentejo set to welcome Europe’s largest floating solar power project

EDIA, also known as the Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company, is preparing to launch a contractual search procedure that marks the beginning of a solar power project that will be the largest floating solar power regenerating system in Europe.

This project includes the installation of 10 floating photovoltaic power plants, which will occupy an area of ??about 50 hectares over water. It is estimated that more than 127,000 photovoltaic panels will be installed, which will offset the emission of approximately 30,000 tons of CO2 per year.

With an estimated production of 90GWh/year, the energy obtained from these ten individual photovoltaic plants would be enough to supply around two thirds of the entire population of Baixo Alentejo.

This will be Europe’s largest floating photovoltaic project, and will have a base price of 50 million euros, 45 million euros of which is coming from the Council of European Development Bank, and 5 million in equity from EDIA themselves.

The largest of these 10 floating photovoltaic power plants will have an area of ??28 hectares (by itself the largest in Europe).

In these systems, the energy produced by the solar panels installed on floating structures will be directed to the pumping stations. Only when this energy is not sufficient or when there is a surplus

The introduction of photovoltaic energy production into EFMA’s list of priorities is an unavoidable decision, both economically and environmentally, following the global trend towards renewables. The decision also makes total sense since the project will be locating in an area with excellent levels of solar energy radiation.

The installation of these power stations in the vicinity of the pumping stations in addition to their decarbonisation, it will allow for the elimination of transmission losses and the reduction of power demand from the network, generally during the summer and especially during peak periods as more energy can be consumed from the nearby solar stations.