Solar on degraded sites takes advantage of unused areas to accelerate the energy transition
Using vacant land
Land availability is one of the key challenges for the development of renewable energy projects. Degraded land and unused sites (former dumps, industrial sites available for conversion, polluted sites, discontinued quarries, etc.) are propitious for the installation of ground-based solar farms, sometimes combined with agrivoltaics.
Bousquet d'Orb sets the example
Our first project on a degraded site was the Bousquet d'Orb solar power plant, which was connected to the grid in 2018. Built on a former coal mine operated until 1993 by Charbonnage de France, the 12 MWp power plant covers nearly 50 acres in Le Bousquet d'Orb, in the Occitania region of France. The site was not suitable for other activities because the soil is highly polluted. Its conversion to a solar power plant therefore gives this historical site a second lease on life.
Partnership with ECT to give industrial sites a second life
To take things further, we have teamed up with ECT, a company specializing in the recovery of inert materials from construction sites, to create a joint subsidiary, ACT-E. This partnership aims to develop a capacity of 100 MWp in the Paris region by making use of former industrial sites, such as in Annet-sur-Marne, where inert ground has been converted into a solar farm.
