Leader in the renewable energy sector
Our commitment to innovation and new technologies has made us a leader in the renewable energy sector. Ongoing projects include repowering, energy storage plants, floating offshore wind farms and power plants that seek synergies between solar PV and wind energy. Because at EDPR, we believe that a sustainable future starts with our choices today.
Energy storage
EDPR positions itself at the forefront of innovations in the renewable energy industry.
The first is to "balance load" – to shift energy production into the future, often by several hours – so that more existing generating capacity is used efficiently.
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The second reason is to "bridge" power – in other words, to ensure there is no break in service during the seconds-to-minutes required to switch from one power generation source to another.
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Energy storage also provides power quality management, or the control of voltage and frequency to avoid damaging sensitive equipment. This is an increasing concern that storage can alleviate whenever needed, for a few seconds or less, many times each day.
In 2019, EDPR closed its first PPA with operative storage system. The Sonrisa Park has secured a PPA for 200 MW of solar energy and 40 MW of energy storage, with the combination of solar and storage designed to increase effiency and provide greater balance in energy supply.
- Clean energy integration
- Consumer cost savings
- Supporting the economy
- Stabilizing the grid
- Reduced emissions
Hybrid power plants
EDPR, as part of its R&D strategy, boosts efforts to offer sustainable energy solutions that meet customers’ increasing need to balance energy supply with grid demand.
On September 2023, EDP Renewables officially opened a new photovoltaic farm with a capacity of 45 MW. The Konary project is another confirmation of the innovation and pioneering role of EDP Renewables in accelerating Poland's energy transformation.
In Konary, the idea of sharing the network through complementary RES technologies, successfully implemented by us in Portugal and Spain, can also unlock the potential of connecting additional gigawatts of RES in Poland.
The Konary farm used the same receiving station as the adjacent 79.5 MW Pawłowo wind farm, also owned by EDP Renewables.
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Hybrid power plants combine various sources of power generation and energy storage to accentuate the positive aspects and address the challenges of a specific generation type, in order to produce power that is more affordable, reliable and sustainable. The combination of wind and PV offers increased capacity factor and annual generation.
By sharing the same grid connection and substation, hybrid power plants lead to savings in CAPEX and permitting times, compared to developing separate wind or solar farms. Also, the overall development and the regular O&M costs will be lower (compared to wind and solar plants located separately) given that both plants are located in a single site or in close proximity.
Hydrogen
In 2030, the objective is that more than 90% of the electricity generated by EDP is from renewable sources. The most efficient and inexpensive way to reach 100% in 2050 is with electrification of consumption in general, whether in electric mobility, air conditioning, industries, etc.
New commodity: H₂ is set to replace oil and become the new global energy commodity.
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SIN: National Interconnected System (SIN) of integrated low-carbon electricity.
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Domestic industry: prospects for the use of Green H₂ in local industries and mobility projects.
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H₂ auction (HPA): concrete prospects for international HPA auctions to acquire Green H₂.
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Geographic position: favorable geographic position to reach Europe and the East Coast of the US.
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Pecém TPP: energy evaluation of the use of Green H₂ in co-firing with diesel and coal.
In December 2022, EDP Brazil produced the first molecule of green hydrogen at its new generation unit in São Gonçalo do Amarante, Ceará. The production of this molecule is the first strategic stage in the development at the Pecém Thermoelectric Complexof a pilot hydrogen project that was officially launched in January 2023.
With this project, EDP Brasil is pioneering the generation of knowledge in the area of renewable hydrogen, carving out a position at the center of a vast production and application chain for this fuel. Indeed, the project also aims to analyze the hydrogen gas production chain, business models, strategic partnerships with industries, and adaptations to the mobility sector.
Offshore floating
Just like oil or gas, wind energy came to prominence onshore.
Later it moved out to sea, starting in shallow water and them making steps into deeper waters.
Located approximately 20 km off the coast of Viana do Castelo, where the waters reach a depth of 100 meters, WindFloat Atlantic (WFA) is under construction. It is first next-generation offshore wind farm in continental Europe
Each wind turbine operates on a WindFloat floating platform, which is connected to the seabed via chains—ensuring its stability. This eliminates the complex offshore operations associated with installing traditional fixed structures, reducing their potential environmental impact.
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The construction and assembly of the platform/wind turbine pair is completely carried out on land, and later towed out to its final location..
These two features make the involvement of large transportation and installation ships unnecessary, eliminating complex and costly operations at sea. In addition, they make it possible to set up wind turbines farther from the coast, where the seafloor is deeper and wind speeds are stronger and more regular.
Installation
The facility consists of three wind turbines supported by floating platforms that integrate WindFloat technology (owned by Principle Power Inc.).
Windplus Consortium
The project belongs to the Windplus consortium, which is jointly owned by EDP Renováveis (54.4%), ENGIE (25%), Repsol (19.4%) and Principal Power Inc. (1.2%).
Context
This project is backed by the success of the WindFloat 1 prototype. Operational between 2011 and 2016, this 2 MW prototype managed to continuously generate power for five years and withstand extreme climactic conditions without suffering any damage—including waves of up to 17 m high and winds of 60 km.
Depth
Structure designed to be anchored at a depth of more than 100 m.
Offshore wind farm
First floating wind farm in continental Europe.
17M waves
Capable of withstanding waves more than 17 meters high and winds of more than 60 knots.
Capacity of 25MW
Total capacity of 25 MW (the consumption of approximately 60,000 households).