Sperra Deploys First Full-Scale 3D Printed Concrete Gravity Anchor for Floating Solar

3D Printed Anchors Hit the Real World

Infrastructure technology company Sperra has achieved a significant milestone: the first full-scale 3D concrete printed gravity anchor deployed in the real world. The anchor was installed at EDP's floating solar laboratory at the Alto Rabagão pumped hydropower reservoir in Portugal.

The Challenge

Floating solar, offshore wind, and wave energy projects are moving into deeper water and harsher environments. Traditional anchors often face challenges with cost, constructability, and long-term performance. Each project has unique requirements based on loads, mooring layout, and site conditions.

Sperra's Solution

Sperra's Anchors on Demand platform uses digitally optimised concrete anchors that can be produced closer to deployment locations using automated large-scale 3D concrete printing. The benefits include:

• Tailored structures for each specific anchor application
• Reduced material usage compared to traditional methods
• Surface features that can support aquatic habitat growth
• Reduced transport weight and logistical constraints

The Pilot

The pilot was completed in collaboration with Fred. Olsen 1848, whose Tension Buoy system is being tested at the site, and Vertico, a Dutch 3D printing company that printed and delivered the anchor. EDP's Alto Rabagão testbed features challenging conditions: up to 50 meters of seasonal water-level variation, 31 m/s wind events, over 60 meters of water depth, and winter extremes including snow loading.

This is one of Europe's most demanding environments for hydropower reservoirs—making it an ideal proving ground for next-generation anchoring solutions.

What This Means

This deployment marks a significant step toward commercial deployment of digitally designed, locally manufactured anchors for floating renewable energy systems. As floating energy developers look for proven anchoring solutions that are more flexible, more local, and more cost-effective, 3D printed concrete anchors could become a standard solution.

The ability to produce anchors closer to deployment locations using automated printing reduces both cost and carbon footprint associated with transportation.