Applications & Installations

Solar panels for world’s first combined hydro & floating PV project installed in Portugal

French floating PV specialists Ciel & Terre have installed a 220 kW PV installation at a hydroelectric dam on Portugal’s Rabagão River. Though a comparatively small installation, this represents the first time the two technologies have been used in tandem at utility scale.
Mark Hutchins
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Mark Hutchins
Photo: EDP

The project came about as the result of a pilot tender to add PV generation to the hydroelectric dam in Northern Portugal, in which Ciel & Terre was chosen as EPC provider. The solar panels are installed on a floating island, and will allow the plant to save hydropower to compete at peak demand times.

Ciel & Terre is a market leader in floating PV, having delivered its Hydrelio solution to more than 60 installations in 16 countries. The company is now targeting dam reservoirs as preferred sites for its installations, estimating that covering just 10% of the world’s largest 50 dams could add 400 GW of solar capacity.

The Alto Rabagão dam has been in operation has been in operation since the 1960s, with a capacity of 68 MW. Portuguese energy giant EDP (Energias de Portugal) acknowledged the potential for combining solar and hydroelectric generation, which led to the tender announcement.

According to Ciel & Terre, the location was chosen due to its high level of difficulty, due to the water depth of 60 metres and surface level variation of more than 30 metres.

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Comments

Hybrid Projects Innovations – A deep dive into Pumped Hydro Storage in Europe | SolarEyes International
May 27, 2023

[…] floating solar PV plant integrated into an existing PHS facility in Alto Rabagao, Portugal, is a case worth mentioning. This 68 MWp hybrid PV and […]

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EDP plans first MW-scale floating PV project in Portugal – AD Energy Recruitment | Market Leading, Full Project Life Cycle Recruitment Partner
Jun 12, 2019

[…] built its first floating PV system with the support of Ciel&Terre in November 2016. The Central Solar Fotovoltaica Flutuante do Alto Rabagão project is a 200 kW pilot installation at the Alto Rabagão Dam on the Rabagão […]

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» EDP plans first MW-scale floating PV project in Portugal – pv magazine InternationalSolar Equipment Installer
Jun 03, 2019

[…] utility built its first floating PV system with the support of Ciel&Terre in November 2016. The Central Solar Fotovoltaica Flutuante do Alto Rabagão project is a 200 kW pilot installation at the Alto Rabagão Dam on the Rabagão […]

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