Voltalia (Euronext Paris, ISIN code: FR0011995588), an international player in renewable energies, announces today the launch of the construction of a new 8.2 MW solar power plant in France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department.
A project won in the CRE 2 tender
The 8.2 MW power plant is one of the projects won by Voltalia during the 2013 national solar tender. The plant will be located in the city of Alleins, in the Bouches-du-Rhône area.
In accordance with the call for tenders, one half of the plant will be equipped with high-efficiency photovoltaic modules (4.09 MW); the other half (4.09 MW) will include concentrating photovoltaic modules with a tracker system following the sun’s path. Unlike commonly used photovoltaic panels, lenses on the panels concentrate sun rays on high performance cells, hence optimizing the use of the solar resource.
The commissioning of the new plant is expected by Q2 2018 at the latest.
A project in line with Voltalia’s strategy and mission
The construction of this new power plant is in line with Voltalia’s approach to make the most of local energy resources. The selected site, already heavily anthropized, is located on a former quarry.
Voltalia has chosen to equip the fixed part of the Carrières-des-Plaines plant with SunPower high performance E-Series solar panels which are among the most efficient on the market. SunPower, a majority-owned subsidiary of Total SA, will produce the majority of the solar panels in its French facilities. “We are pleased to support Voltalia by supplying a total of 18.3 MW of high efficiency solar panels for this new power plant as well as two other solar facilities in the region1”, says SunPower Executive Vice President Peter Aschenbrenner.
