EDP Innovation has announced an automation pilot project named AutoPV, which has been developed by Comau - a global technology provider for industrial automated solutions - at the solar photovoltaic park of Peñaflor, in Valladolid, Spain, carrying out an extremely important step for the energy transition. As mentioned by António Coutinho, CEO of EDP Innovation, “Energy transition means that we intend in 30 years to completely retrofit the energy construction of the world that took more than 200 years to build – it is not an energy transition it is an energy revolution”.

Sustainability remains the main concern when it comes to be as cost efficient as possible while trying to find alternative renewable energy sources. After Europe’s 2030 Renewable Energy targets which are asking to triple the amount of renewable energy that is produced, EDP as the worldwide leader in the renewable energy sector, has implemented the installation of AutoPV as a way to make solar panels’ construction to be quicker. With this pilot project, EDP hopes to increase construction efficiency by investing in automation, which will speed up the project timetable and hopefully cut the time needed to assemble the solar panel structure by up to 50%. So far, they have been able to install around 120 solar panels a day at the site, with the aim of doubling that number.

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According to the CEO of EDP Innovation, automation is not only a question of effectiveness and efficiency, but also a matter of safety, therefore it is crucial to improve construction while keeping the operators safe. “We cannot multiply by three the number of people that we have today to build these types of parks, so we have to do more with the people that we have and the only way to do that is by putting the machines to work with the people in order to build with speed and scale”, he stressed. In order to be successful in the implementation of this project, EDP has partnered with Comau which has more than 50 years of experience in the area of automation.

EDP is committed to leading the energy transition – committed to investing in increasing the number of megawatts in the parks that are producing green energy, at the same time they are contributing to pushing innovation. “We believe that technology and innovation play a big role in the energy transition – innovation is indeed at the heart of energy transition”, António Coutinho stated. From a total of 122MW which compose the Peñaflor solar park, 3MB are expected to be constructed with the mobile factory Hyperflex.

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The Hyperflex machine is accessible because it is a mobile temporary factory that can be utilised at various photovoltaic parks. Apart from its mobility, safety is still the most important factor as it is essential to have a machine that can operate closely with people without endangering them. Moreover, the cooperation between humans and robots allows machines to perform labour-intensive tasks like lifting large tubes and panels, freeing up operators to perform precise work. As mentioned by Giovanni Di Stefano, “The logistics required to install the solar panels is all focused in a specific construction site and not spread around the solar park”. The robot includes an automatic assembly station where the photovoltaic structure is pre-assembled, and a rover that transports and positions the structure in the final location on the ground.

The main objective of EDP innovation is to increase the number of megawatts that can be done per person – MB/person/month. The pilot project started to be used in mid-September and plans to operate until mid-November, where further conclusions regarding its advantages and improvements can be analysed. The Peñaflor solar park is expected to start operating at the end of the first semester of 2025. According to the team involved in the project, the feedback from the operators working with the robot has been positive as it provides better conditions, especially in days of extreme weather – strong winds and extreme heat, both common in the region.

Since this kind of automation is still in the experimental stage, there are currently no projections for when it will be deployed in Portugal's solar photovoltaic parks; nonetheless, EDP is closely examining the possibility. With more than 4GW of installed solar capacity, EDP currently generates 98% of its energy from renewable sources, including solar. EDP is a leader in the global energy transition and has set high sustainability targets, such as phasing out coal-fired generating by 2025, and being entirely green by 2030.

Author

After studying Journalism for five years in the UK and Malta, Sara Durães moved back to Portugal to pursue her passion for writing and connecting with people. A ‘wanderluster’, Sara loves the beach, long walks, and sports. 

Sara J. Durães