EDP’s pioneering project, which resulted from a partnership with Amorim Cork Composites and the Spanish manufacturer, Isigenere, was distinguished by the European Commission in the Innovation category of the “European Sustainable Energy Awards 2023”. In operation since July 2022, it is Europe’s largest floating solar park on a reservoir, that incorporates almost 12,000 photovoltaic panels and has the capacity to supply more than 30% of the population in this part of the Alentejo region. Amorim Cork Composites was a key partner in the design of the floats supporting each of the panels. The company has developed an innovative material, based on a new cork composite, which has not only delivered a 15% reduction in the platform’s weight but also helped achieve a 30% reduction in the carbon footprint of production of the floats. This partnership is the result of the two companies’ shared commitment to sustainability and a common goal to combat climate change through decarbonisation and energy transition. In an interview for a previous edition of Amorim News, Miguel Patena, EDP’s Director of Green Hydrogen Engineering, explained that cork was chosen for the project as “a natural option (...) reinforced by the very fact that it is located in the Alentejo region, where cork oak trees and cork are a predominant raw material” and he also anticipated an increasingly decisive role for this material in the energy sector. “Cork has excellent insulating properties, making it ideal for application in the sector, for example in batteries, as Amorim Cork Composites has already demonstrated and also for insulation of containerised substations in wind and solar farms and, why not, as a construction material for such facilities.” The Alqueva solar farm project was one of three finalists selected for the European Sustainable Energy Awards 2023, after a global vote in June.
©The project is co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund #EMFF
