Madrid's water supplier installs 1.7-MW floating solar plant

The Madrid region’s water supply manager Canal de Isabel II announced on Tuesday that it has assembled a 1.696-MW floating solar farm at one of its mini-hydro power plants.

The project required an investment of EUR 2.1 million (USD 2.2m) and received funding from the European Union via the REACT-EU programme.

The floating installation is made up of 3,770 photovoltaic panels covering a surface area of 11,680 square metres. Canal de Isabel II placed the panels on the surface of the lower reservoir of its century-old Torrelaguna mini-hydro power station, one of nine such plants the company uses to carry water to the Spanish capital and the surrounding municipalities.

The floating solar farm and the Torrelaguna station will operate as a hybrid, Canal de Isabel II said.

The project will serve to test the conditions of maintenance, anchoring, resistance and impact on the aquatic environment, and to determine the criteria for the design and possible installation of similar systems on the surface of reservoirs, according to the announcement.

The floating solar farm is scheduled to commence operation at the end of 2023.

Canal de Isabel II owns 109.31 MW of installed generation capacity to manage the Madrid region’s water cycle. The company says it aims to produce as much electricity as it consumes before 2030, using renewable or high-efficiency sources.

To reach the goal, Canal de Isabel II will seek to install 34 solar power systems at its water management facilities. The initiative will be part of the company’s EUR-55-million solar plan financed with European funds.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.056)

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