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Faial Microgrid

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations6
System facts15
Sources reviewed9
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

Faial's isolated Azores grid is a wind-diesel-hydro-solar system operated by EDA. Its best-documented microgrid intervention is ABB Powercorp's RMC 600 control system, commissioned in 2013 to coordinate the island's fuel-oil generation and the 4.25 MW Salão wind farm. Current EDA statistics show that the island remains predominantly thermal: 2023 grid emission totaled 48,384 MWh, including 42,810 MWh from fuel-oil and diesel generation, 5,369 MWh wind, 133 MWh hydro, and 72 MWh photovoltaic sources.

Research status
The Faial island grid and its wind, thermal, hydro, and photovoltaic resources remain operational. The reviewed current EDA data do not explicitly confirm whether the original ABB RMC 600 controller is still in service in 2026, so the controller's current lifecycle status is unknown.
Historical classification
Island
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
38.59126, -28.69648
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Faial Microgrid?

6 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

ABB

Supplier and commissioning organization for the RMC 600 renewable microgrid controller after acquiring Powercorp [2][3]

Organization

EDA - Electricidade dos Açores, S.A.

Island electric utility, grid operator, and operator of Faial's thermal generation and distribution system [5][7][8]

Organization

EDA Renováveis, S.A.

Renewable-generation company responsible for the Salão wind farm and Varadouro hydro assets within the EDA group [4][6]

Organization

Power Corp - ABB

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

Powercorp

Original developer of the RMC technology later acquired and delivered under ABB [2]

Organization

Vestas

Supplier of the five V52 wind turbines at Salão [4]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

Salão wind farm
4.25 MW: five Vestas V52 turbines rated 850 kW each, connected in 2013 [4]
Varadouro hydro plant
0.320 MW; EDA Renováveis forecast 218 MWh for 2024 after an estimated 190 MWh in 2023 [6]
2023 grid emission by source
42,787 MWh thermal fuel oil, 23 MWh thermal diesel, 5,369 MWh wind, 133 MWh hydro, and 72 MWh photovoltaic; total 48,384 MWh [5]
2023 demand and peak
46,523 MWh consumption and 9,449 kW annual peak [5]
Distribution voltage
15 kV medium-voltage island network [8]
Electrical storage
No battery storage was documented as installed in the reviewed Faial control-system case; ABB material discussed PowerStore only as a possible future integration, not as an as-built asset [2]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Microgrid controller

ABB Powercorp — RMC 600

Renewable microgrid controller commissioned in December 2013 to balance wind, island demand, and dispatch of the conventional generator fleet [2]

02

Wind turbines

Vestas — V52

Five 850 kW turbines at the Salão wind farm [4]

03

Thermal generation

Model not publicly disclosed

EDA identifies heavy fuel oil as Faial's principal thermal fuel. Public sources reviewed here do not provide a current generator manufacturer/model inventory. [7][5]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Control functions

    The RMC 600 calculated economical operating combinations, balanced generation and demand, maximized wind use subject to system limits, and coordinated loading, spinning reserve, and operating constraints for the conventional plant. [2][3]

  • Commissioning

    ABB announced the RMC 600 as delivered and commissioned on December 4, 2013, coinciding with integration of the expanded Salão wind resource. [2][4]

  • Supplier-reported benefit

    ABB's infographic claimed fuel savings above 3.5 million liters per year. The reviewed source does not disclose the measurement baseline or independent verification, so this is retained as an ABB-reported benefit rather than a verified operating result. [3]

  • Current energy-mix reality

    EDA's 2023 figures show wind as the largest renewable source but thermal fuel oil still dominating annual production. Faial is therefore an operating hybrid island grid, not a renewable-only system. [5]

  • Current development context

    The EU Clean Energy for EU Islands page identifies ongoing study of additional renewables and ferry electrification, but does not document a commissioned large battery or replacement controller for Faial. [9]

  • Public evidence gap

    Current RMC 600 service status, controller software version, present thermal-generator makes/models, installed battery capacity, and independently measured fuel savings were not found in public sources through July 2026. [5][9][2]

Provenance

9 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2020-07-06

  2. [2]
  3. [3]
  4. [4]
  5. [5]
    Relatório e Contas 2023

    EDA - Electricidade dos Açores · Primary source

  6. [6]
  7. [7]
    Produção de energia

    EDA - Electricidade dos Açores · Primary source

  8. [8]
    Distribuição de energia

    EDA - Electricidade dos Açores · Primary source

  9. [9]
    Faial, Portugal

    Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat · Primary source

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