Les
Îlots
Blandin
in
Haute-Marne,
France,
Europe’s
largest
floating
solar
power
plant,
was
built
on
six
former
quarry
reservoirs.
Ciel
&
Terre
International
/
YouTube
screenshot
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A
new
solar
farm
is
operational
as
of
June
20
in
Perthes,
France
and
is
currently
the
largest
floating
solar
farm
in
Europe.
“On
an
area
of
former
gravel
pits,
Q
Energy
is
realising
Europe’s
largest
floating
solar
power
plant
to
date
with
74.3
MW.
And
many
more
will
follow,”
Q
Energy
said
on
its
website.
The
floating
solar
site,
called
Les
Îlots
Blandin,
took
over
the
location
of
a
former
127-hectare
gravel
extraction
pit
that
shut
down
in
2020.
Q
Energy
and
Velto
Renewables
identified
the
former
industrial
site
as
a
promising
location
for
floating
solar
technology
and
spent
several
years
of
planning
before
construction
began
in
September
2023,
Energy
Global
reported.
According
to
Q
Energy,
the
site
offered
a
favorable
location
for
generating
solar
energy,
and
it
had
minimal
conflicts
over
land
use,
an
issue
that
can
limit
renewable
energy
projects.
[embedded content]
“Understanding
the
local
dynamics
allowed
us
to
design
a
project
that
is
both
technically
sound
and
integrated
into
the
region,”
Corentin
Sivy,
development
director
and
deputy
managing
director
of
Q
ENERGY
France,
said
in
a
statement.
The
site
now
hosts
more
than
135,000
photovoltaic
panels
affixed
to
floating
platforms,
supplied
and
installed
by
Ciel
&
Terre,
with
a
capacity
of
74.3
megawatt
peak
(MWp).
According
to
Q
Energy,
the
floating
site
will
generate
enough
power
for
37,000
people
annually
and
will
prevent
18,000
tons
of
carbon
dioxide
emissions
per
year.
Floating
solar
panels
offer
unique
benefits,
such
as
better
performance
and
potentially
expanded
lifespan
from
the
cooler
water
as
well
as
limiting
bank
erosion
and
water
evaporation
during
wind
or
drought,
according
to
Energy
Sage.
While
floating
solar
farms
can
be
installed
on
natural
bodies
of
water,
the
installation
of
Les
Îlots
Blandin
on
a
former
industrial
site
also
means
no
disruption
to
aquatic
life.
There
are
many
similarly
ideal
sites
in
France
for
floating
solar
projects,
but
these
projects
face
economic
challenges.
Cost
is
a
major
consideration
for
floating
solar
farms,
which
require
more
specialized
equipment
for
installation.
In
the
case
of
Les
Ilots
Blandin,
private
investments
helped
move
the
project
forward.
According
to
the
World
Economic
Forum,
private-public
partnerships
will
be
essential
in
expanding
renewable
energy
projects
around
the
world.
“Velto
is
accelerating
its
development
in
France
with
a
clear
objective:
to
establish
a
long-term
presence
in
France
for
several
decades,”
Lucas
de
Haro,
CEO
of
Velto
Renewables,
said
in
a
statement.
“We
are
here
to
stay.
Our
mission
is
to
develop,
operate
and
support
projects
over
the
long
term,
in
harmony
with
local
specificities.”
As
of
2022,
renewable
energy
makes
up
24.2%
of
France’s
total
electricity
generation,
largely
from
hydropower
and
wind.
By
tapping
into
the
potential
for
floating
solar
as
well
as
agrivoltaic
projects,
solar
could
further
help
the
country
reach
its
goal
of
net-zero
emissions
by
2050.
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