The Alqueva power plant in eastern Portugal is the largest floating solar-hydro hybrid in Europe… and a marvel of innovation.
Enlit on the Road visited Portuguese energy company EDP’s groundbreaking project, which offers a glimpse into the potential future of renewable energy. The hybrid project – which sits on Europe’s biggest artificial lake – showcases how combining different renewable sources can create an efficient energy solution.
Enlit spoke to Pedro Miguel Oliveira, director of EDP Generation’s Innovation Department, who explained that Alqueva comprises three key components: a hydroelectric power station with a 510 MW capacity, including a pumping system that acts as a significant energy reserve; a floating solar power station with 12,000 photovoltaic panels and 5 MW installed capacity; and a battery storage system with a storage capacity of around 2 MWh.
According to Oliveira, the hybrid combines the two renewable sources into the same injection point into the grid. “This is efficient because we use the infrastructure that already exists: all the connection points, substations, and lines. And connecting these projects into the hydropower plant, we save a lot of the costs and also reduce the impact on the environment.”
A pioneering example of hybridization
Alqueva stands out for its pioneering approach to hybridization. It’s not just about combining solar and hydro: it’s about intelligent management. The project serves as a real-world testing ground for the complementarity between renewable energy production and storage technologies.
Here’s how it achieves this:
- The photovoltaic plant, batteries, and hydro are integrated into an intelligent management system;
- The battery storage reinforces the pro
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