TALOS Project, led by EDP, concludes with results that could transform solar energy in Europe
Robotics, artificial intelligence and automation demonstrate the potential to increase asset performance by up to 28%, reduce maintenance costs and enhance operational safety.
As solar energy takes on an increasingly central role in the energy transition, ensuring the efficient, safe and sustainable operation of photovoltaic power plants has become one of the sector’s key challenges. It was in response to this reality that TALOS was created, a European project led by EDP’s research and development centre. Over the past three years, the initiative has brought together energy companies, research centres, technology providers and start-ups to develop robotic and artificial intelligence solutions capable of transforming the way solar assets are operated and maintained. In total, the project involved 15 partners combining multidisciplinary expertise and resources.
The solutions developed enabled asset performance improvements of up to 28%, reduced water consumption in cleaning operations by up to 67%, and lowered the Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCoE) by as much as 16%, making solar energy more competitive. At the same time, operator exposure to repetitive or higher-risk tasks was reduced by 90%, promoting safer working conditions and continuous asset monitoring. These achievements also helped avoid up to 1,070 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year, demonstrating the contribution of these technologies to a more sustainable and competitive energy transition.
Funded by the European Union under its research and innovation programme, TALOS represented a total investment of more than €10.5 million and enabled the development and testing of around 30 new technological solutions. These included autonomous robots, drones, advanced sensors and artificial intelligence tools applied to the monitoring, inspection and maintenance of solar power plants, including solar panel cleaning and vegetation management.
“The legacy of TALOS demonstrates that the future of solar energy depends not only on installing more capacity, but also on our ability to operate that infrastructure in a smarter, more efficient and more resilient way. Over the past three years, the project has helped lay the foundations for this transformation, contributing to strengthening the competitiveness of European solar energy and accelerating the journey towards a decarbonised economy,” said Daniel Albuquerque, Senior Specialist at EDP’s research and development centre and Project Coordinator.
One of TALOS’s distinguishing features was the validation of its technologies in real and diverse operational environments. In Portugal, the solutions were tested at the Alqueva floating solar power plant, part of Europe’s largest hybrid renewable energy complex of its kind, where cleaning robots, drones and autonomous underwater vehicles were used for inspection and maintenance activities.
In Spain, testing took place at the Cruz de Hierro power plant, a hybrid solar and wind energy project where autonomous robots for panel cleaning and vegetation management, as well as aerial inspection systems, were evaluated. Beyond applications in ground-mounted and floating solar facilities, the project also explored solutions for agrivoltaic environments, supporting the coexistence of renewable energy generation and agricultural activity.
Over the course of these three years, TALOS also stood out for promoting an open innovation model capable of bringing major energy operators closer to Europe’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through a dedicated support programme, the project provided approximately €2 million in funding to 12 technology start-ups and SMEs, selected from 166 applications submitted from across Europe. The supported companies had the opportunity to develop and test their solutions in real-world facilities, accelerating their route to market and contributing to the creation of new technological solutions for the renewable energy sector.
For more information about the project and the solutions developed, please visit the official website: https://talosproject.eu/.