Floating PV Lab

The Floating PV Lab is an EDP innovation and testing infrastructure, located at the Alto Rabagão Dam reservoir, designed to support the innovation ecosystem and accelerate the development, validation and market deployment of floating photovoltaic energy solutions.

This infrastructure enables companies to test and demonstrate new technologies under real and demanding operating conditions, representing a crucial step prior to commercialisation.

Backed by several years of operational experience and strong technological know-how, the Floating PV Lab stands as a European benchmark for the testing of emerging floating solar energy technologies in real operating environments.

In 2017, EDP developed and brought into operation a pilot floating photovoltaic power plant at the Alto Rabagão reservoir, taking a pioneering position in the development of this technology in Portugal and internationally. Following its commissioning, the project was recognised as the world’s first hybrid system, integrating floating photovoltaic and hydropower generation through the sharing of the same grid connection infrastructure.

In 2022, at Alqueva, EDP further strengthened its leadership in this technology with the development of the largest floating solar platform installed on a dam reservoir in Europe. This asset is also hybridised with the Alqueva Hydroelectric Power Plant and includes an associated 1 MW battery.

Over the years, the experimental platform at Alto Rabagão has served as a learning laboratory for future projects, attracting visits from leading institutions, research organisations and peer companies from across the global energy sector.

This journey has consolidated EDP as an international reference, reflected in its participation in European Union–funded innovation projects, invitations to leading conferences and forums, and active involvement in the definition of industry standards and best practices.

EDP has also contributed to the first recommended practice for floating photovoltaics, coordinated by DNV, as well as to reports and guidelines from the World Bank, promoted by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS).

In a context where the energy sector plays a critical role in economic growth and where the European Union has set ambitious targets for the energy transition and carbon neutrality by 2050, the Floating PV Lab aims to contribute to accelerating the technological maturity of floating solar energy.

Its mission is to reduce technological risk, promote applied innovation, and support the industrialisation and commercialisation of competitive solutions that contribute to decarbonisation and the digital transformation of the energy sector.

The Floating PV Lab provides a unique laboratory infrastructure in Europe, fully integrated into a hybrid generation system that combines floating photovoltaic solar energy, hydropower generation and energy storage. Leveraging EDP’s experience and the existing infrastructure at Alto Rabagão, the platform enables companies and innovation ecosystem stakeholders to test and validate new solutions under real operating conditions, within a controlled environment.

One of the key differentiating factors of the Floating PV Lab is its ability to validate technologies in real time, based on real production and meteorological data.

Its location at Alto Rabagão allows technologies to be tested under demanding environmental conditions, including strong winds, significant wave action, temperatures above 30 °C and below 0 °C, as well as ice and snow conditions, ensuring robust assessments of performance and reliability.

To support project development, EDP provides a modern office facility designed to accommodate technical teams operating on site. The space includes work areas, meeting rooms, a kitchenette, and support and leisure areas.

In parallel, EDP secured all required approvals from the Portuguese Environmental Agency for the use of an additional area of the Alto Rabagão reservoir adjacent to the existing floating platform, as well as a shoreline construction and logistics area. 

The first two projects to be deployed at the Floating PV Lab will focus on innovating anchoring and mooring systems, replacing conventional technologies with solutions that demonstrate strong competitive potential once tested and certified.

These projects involve Fred. Olsen 1848 and Sperra, two internationally recognized companies in the floating solar sector, headquartered respectively in Norway and California (USA), reinforcing the global and collaborative nature of the testing infrastructure.

Through the Floating PV Lab, EDP aims to support the acceleration of market entry for new floating solar energy solutions, enhancing the technology’s maturity, competitiveness and long-term viability. By the end of 2027, the goal is to support the commercialisation of at least five new technologies and to strengthen EDP’s role as a European and global leader in floating photovoltaic innovation.