Gwénaëlle Deboutte
TotalEnergies announces results of vertical agrivoltaic pilots in France
French energy giant TotalEnergies studied the impact of solar panels on crops in order to develop a repository of agronomic benefits. The initial results show an increase in agricultural yields on field crops and a reduction in water stress.
France allocates 172.9 MW of solar capacity at average price of $0.09/kWh
The French authorities selected 66 projects in a recent tender for “innovative” PV technologies. The final average price was significantly lower than the ceiling price.
Neoen secures first corporate PPA in France
French renewables developer Neoen says it will provide power to broadcast services provider TDF under a long-term deal. It will source the electricity from 62 MW of solar across two projects that are now under development in southeastern France.
Neoen starts building 93 MW solar plant in Canada
French renewables developer Canada has started building a 93 MW solar project in the Canadian province of Alberta. The plant will feed power into the local grid, which is operated by ATCO Electric.
French rail operator to develop solar systems capable of operating at 9,000 V
SNCF Réseau and the National Institute for Solar Energy (INES) in France have agreed to jointly develop renewables projects. They aim to build PV systems that can supply continuous power at voltages of 3 kV, 6 kV, and 9 kV, while optimizing installation costs – particularly with regard to cables, operations, and maintenance.
New process increases efficiency of CIGS bifacial thin-film solar cells
Researchers from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) have developed a new low-temperature production process for bifacial thin-film solar cells based on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). It resulted in record yields of 19.8% for front lighting and 10.9% for rear lighting.
Eiffage acquires French solar developer Sun’R
Eiffage Concessions, a unit of Eiffage, has acquired a 75% stake in Sun’R.
France installed 1.71 GW of solar in January-September period
France’s cumulative installed PV capacity reached 15.8 GW at the end of September.
French government sets up PPA guarantee fund for renewables
The French government has revealed that French lender Bpifrance will manage a fund to guarantee power purchase agreements for up to 500 MW of cumulative installed capacity.
Tech advances halving surface needed for ground-mount solar
French developer VSN Energies Nouvelles was able to almost double the capacity of one of its PV projects due to technological advances such as high-powered panels and new plant design concepts.
