Environmental

EDF Group opens floating solar power plant on Lazer hydropower plant reservoir

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EDF Group opens floating solar power plant on Lazer hydropower plant reservoir
(photo courtesy EDF)

The EDF Group has opened the Lazer floating solar power plant, the first facility of its type to be constructed in France by subsidiary EDF Renewables. Installed on the reservoir at the 16.5 MW Lazer hydropower plant, the new facility doubles the site’s capacity for renewable electricity generation.

The Lazer floating solar power plant comprises over 50,000 solar panels, with a total installed capacity of 20 MWp (megawatts peak). The facility will help France meet its target of 100 GW of solar energy capacity by 2050, EDF said.

The solar power plant complements the hydropower scheme, particularly in the summer months, by continuing to supply electricity when the water from Lazer Reservoir is used primarily for crop irrigation. The facility’s anchor and float systems allow it to adapt to variations in the reservoir water level, with no impact on its operation.

Launched in 2017, the project was selected as a winning candidate in the call for proposals by the French Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission de la Régulation de l’Energie) in 2018. A participatory financing campaign was launched in 2021, allowing the local population to invest €179,000 (US$227,500). Construction of the solar power plant began in 2021, with the performance of geotechnical studies and placement of the anchors. The photovoltaic panels were assembled on their floats, launched onto the water in groups (known as islets), and towed by boat to their location. The floating solar power plant has a scheduled operating lifetime of around 30 years.

“We are proud to open the Lazer floating solar power plant. The new facility provides a perfect illustration of the complementary nature of the EDF Group’s expertise and our capacity for innovation. To achieve this first for France, EDF Renewables drew on the expertise it has developed at international level, with four floating solar power plants already constructed in Israel and the U.S. By combining two sources of renewable electricity generation at a single site, this project will help France meet its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050,” said Bruno Bensasson, EDF Group senior executive vice president, renewable energies.

The new plant boosts EDF Renewables’ presence in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region, where five new solar power plants, including Lazer, will enter service in 2023, the company said. The new plants will join five facilities already in operation, increasing EDF Renewables’ solar generation capacity in the region to a total of 85 MW.