Port of València tests floating solar demonstrator

The Port of València now hosts both 500 kW PV-bos platforms that together form Spain’s first pre-commercial offshore floating solar energy demonstrator, developed by BlueNewables with the support of Naturgy. With the installation of the second platform, the 1 MW demonstrator has completed its deployment phase and entered testing and monitoring operations to validate the performance of the technology under real marine conditions. The two platforms, built at the San Enrique shipyard in Vigo, have been named Paiporta and Catarroja in tribute to two Valencian municipalities most severely affected by the devastating DANA floods of 2024. The testing phase will generate insights into performance, operation, maintenance and grid integration in a real port environment, with results and lessons to be gathered progressively as operations proceed. The PV-bos technology is designed to be modular, scalable and suitable for industrial-scale production, expanding the potential of solar energy in locations where land availability is limited or prohibitively expensive, electricity grids are insufficient, or island energy systems are in place.