A decade of energy innovation: celebrating 10 years of EDP’s R&D Centre
Ten years ago, EDP started its own research and development branch. This is called the EDP Research and Development Centre. It is an innovation hub with one goal: to shape the future of energy. "Investing in innovation is crucial to improving our ability to anticipate trends and generate positive change. If we want different results, we need to do it differently”, reflects Vera Pinto Pereira, executive administrator of EDP and responsible for the group's innovation area.
A decade on, it stands as a driving force of change, with a portfolio of innovation that reaches across Europe and into the homes, grids, and policies of tomorrow.
From robotics in offshore wind to smart communities and AI-powered renewables, EDP’s R&D Centre has helped move the energy sector from ambition to implementation, setting a bold course for the next chapter in the global energy transition - and it’s just getting started.
What is the EDP Research and Development Centre?
Established in 2015, the EDP R&D Centre is the group’s main engine for applied research. Based on a project-driven structure, it actively explores, tests, and scales technologies that support decarbonization, system flexibility, and energy democratization.
With over 1000 partners in 41 countries, it connects industry, academia, and communities across borders - helping deliver meaningful innovation that serves both the market and society.
A decade that tells a story of big sustainable impact
In ten years, EDP’s R&D Centre has:
- Delivered 73 research projects
- Concluded 31, with 40 currently running and 2 about to begin
- Mobilised €820M in total investment
- Secured €650M in European and national R&D funding
- Invested €56M from EDP Group, with €40M in public subsidies
- Formed a team of 47 people, including 12 women
- Worked with international partners from 41 different countries
11 projects that defined the last 10 years
From XFLEX HYDRO - boosting the flexibility of hydropower in Portugal -, and ATLANTIS - robotics and automation for offshore wind -, to TALOS - autonomous O&M solutions for solar PV systems -, the EDP R&D Centre has led or co-led major European initiatives across hydropower, offshore wind, smart buildings, forest resilience, and energy citizenship.
These projects didn’t just innovate - they made innovation usable, scalable, and aligned with the market’s real-world needs. These projects didn’t just innovate - they made innovation usable, scalable, and aligned with the market’s real-world needs. “A company needs to have foresight, needs to really put herself on trying to understand about how the world is moving. Now, the world is moving with a lot of uncertainty because things are changing quite fast. And so the only way we can manage uncertainty is by living with uncertainty and testing and experimenting new things. That's the role of innovation”, points out António Coutinho, CEO of EDP Innovation.
Developed by an European consortium of top-tier partners in hydro power – including EDP’s R&D Centre and Generation, XFLEX HYDRO focused on enhancing the efficiency, availability and flexibility of hydropower assets to meet future grid needs. Portuguese demonstrators included Alqueva, Frades II, Alto Lindoso and Caniçada - showing how dispatchable assets can stabilise renewables-heavy systems.
ATLANTIS developed a pioneering pilot infrastructure for offshore robotics, focused on inspection and maintenance of floating wind farms - namely WindFloat Atlantic off the coast of Viana do Castelo. Co-developed by EDP’s R&D Centre, the project demonstrated how robotics can lower O&M costs and risk in extreme environments.
TALOS is building fully autonomous robotic solutions for PV maintenance - from cleaning to vegetation control - across three environments: conventional PV, floating PV, and agrivoltaics. Coordinated by EDP’s R&D Centre, the project shows how these systems reduce human intervention, improve safety, cut emissions and boost plant efficiency by up to 10%.
This project demonstrated storage and energy management solutions for buildings and communities. It developed business models and flexible services that help residential users interact with the grid and contribute to a distributed, decarbonised system. Learn more on this EDP’s project page, recognised by the European Commission in 2018 with the "Flagship Project" status within the area of Energy Innovation.
EU-SYSFLEX tested large-scale renewable integration into the pan-European power system. It identified system constraints and proposed flexibility services and tools to ensure secure, high-quality energy supply, even as renewables exceed 50% of the mix. EDP coordinated demonstration of innovative concepts in Portugal, including the set up of a utility-scale Virtual Power Plant, combining hydro and wind power.
POCITYF developed Positive Energy Blocks - urban zones that generate more renewable energy than they consume. Coordinated by EDP’s R&D Centre with real-life pilots in Évora (PT) and Alkmaar (NL), the project preserves cultural heritage while equipping cities for carbon neutrality through integrated energy, mobility, and ICT systems.
Developed and coordinated by EDP’s R&D Centre, SMART2B improves the smartness of existing buildings using IoT, AI, and dynamic control systems. It enhances user experience and energy performance by turning traditional buildings into interactive nodes within the energy system. These novel concepts were demonstrated in key buildings across Europe.
AI4PV focuses on improving the operational performance of photovoltaic assets using AI, Digital Twins, and data analytics. It delivers a suite of tools for asset management and predictive maintenance, enhancing reliability and cutting downtime in solar production.
EDP’s R&D Centre coordinates IANOS to decarbonise island energy systems. On Terceira Island (Azores), the project integrates renewables, increases system stability, and fights energy poverty. In Terra Chã, 40 homes saw 15% savings on energy bills and stronger grid reliability.
SILVANUS creates a data-driven wildfire prevention platform, tested in Cova da Beira, Portugal. It supports decision-making to protect forests and critical energy infrastructure, while addressing the growing risk of climate-induced fires.
COMMUNITAS empowers consumers to form and manage energy communities, making them active participants in the energy market. In Cascais, tools were tested to support decision-making and data visualisation - enabling ordinary citizens to simulate and select the best energy solutions.
Looking ahead into energy transition: what comes next?
The next 10 years will see the EDP R&D Centre focused on the technologies and systems driving the energy transition:
- AI-driven optimisation for renewables and grids
- New energy storage technologies
- Next-gen renewables, including offshore and hybrid systems
- Efficiency and circularity in materials and systems
- Energy management powered by AI
- Electrification of heat and deep decarbonisation solutions
The team will continue building on its strong European presence while exploring collaborations in South America and Asia-Pacific, reinforcing EDP’s global footprint.
Energy Innovation with purpose
R&D at EDP is not about chasing trends. It’s about solving the challenges that define our generation - climate change, energy access, grid resilience - with sharp minds and scalable technology. Every breakthrough, every prototype, every testbed is designed to serve a larger mission: accelerating the energy transition.
As EDP’s R&D Centre celebrates this milestone, one thing is clear: this is not the end of a chapter. It’s the beginning of a more ambitious one. The EDP R&D Centre is ready for the next decade of impact.
