O'MEGA1
The context
The O'MEGA1 power plant, a winner of the CRE4 call for tender in 2017, is the first Akuo project based on floating solar technology (Hydrelio® by Ciel et Terre floating structure). The plant is located in the municipality of Piolenc (Vaucluse, southern France). Developed by the Akuo teams since 2014, it uses a site artificialized by years of use as a material extraction quarry.
The quarry operator and Akuo worked together to rehabilitate the site via the solar project in order to allow its transition from one activity to the other as well as the site’s ecological restoration. Its annual production enables some 4,733 homes to be supplied with electricity, using green energy that respects the environment, for at least twenty years. The solar farm became operational in 2019.
A 360° integrated project
The landscaping undertaken around the plant is a perfect example of a project that has integrated local issues and needs, and in particular those of the municipality of Piolenc.
More than just a floating solar farm, the O'MEGA1 project comprises three complementary components: agriculture, education and crowdfunding.
Our CSR commitment
Agricultural component
The agricultural component was put in place through cooperation between the Piolenc municipal teams, Agriterra and Akuo. The town hall has thus made 6 hectares of land available to several farmers to enable them to experiment with crops (pomegranate trees, organic lavender, etc.
Educational component
The educational component primarily comprises an educational trail encircling the solar farm that allows local residents and visitors to better understand and grasp the specificities and challenges of this type of plant and the technological advantages of floating solar. The Akuo Foundation teams are also working with the Piolenc activity center on workshops to increase awareness of energy transition, biodiversity and agroecology issues among children and teenagers.
Crowdfunding component
Lastly, the crowdfunding component was a major success as, for the Akuo Group’s first such crowdfunding campaign, the target was reached in record time. Individuals with a home in the Vaucluse or neighboring departments were thus able to participate in the financing of the energy transition while giving real meaning to their savings. The municipality of Piolenc and the Énergie Partagée citizen investment fund also decided to acquire a stake in the project company, alongside local residents and under the same conditions, to reinforce the project’s regional presence and ensure long-term citizen involvement in its governance.
