Europe's largest floating solar power plant was inaugurated on 18 October in Piolenc, near Orange, in France. The facility is equipped with 47,000 photovoltaic panels, which have been installed on the surface of an artificial lake. "This is a decisive breakthrough in the development of renewable energy," commented to the daily 20 Minutes Eric Scotto, president and co-founder of energy production company Akuo, which manages the site.

Solar power plants on all artificial lakes could generate energy for 10 million people

"With the Piolenc solar power plant," he added, "we intend to give a boost to the floating solar market and demonstrate that there are no longer any obstacles to the financing of this type of project." The total investment required for design and construction was approximately 17 million euros. For a 17-hectare facility that will supply energy to 4,700 households (around 10,000 people).

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47.000 panneaux photovoltaïques flottant sur l'eau de l'ancienne carrière de Piolenc, dans le Vaucluse

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In France it is estimated that, taking into account all the artificial lakes existing on the territory (and not classified as Natura 2000 sites, i.e. protected areas), it would be possible to reach a level of production capable of meeting the demand of 10 million households. "It's something colossal," Scotto stressed. Meanwhile, the minister for ecological transition Elisabeth Borne, who attended the inauguration, added that "photovoltaics must double its installed capacity by 2023 and quintuple it within the next ten years in France."

"The impact of the solar power plant on aquatic life is limited"

According to the project's originator, Bernard Prouvost, "it has long been explained that suitable land sites for large solar power plants will soon run out." Building them on water, on the other hand, means there is no competition with agricultural use of the land either. Akuo also points out that building a plant like the one in Piolenc is relatively straightforward: "A few months are enough to complete it." The company also assures that the facility has been designed "to remain operational for at least 25 years."

The design is also modular, consisting of a central anchoring point and a series of "islands" that are attached around it. This makes it possible to adapt the system, in various configurations, depending on the location. Also according to Akuo, the impact on aquatic life "is extremely limited. It is true that the amount of light entering the water is reduced, and therefore the temperature, but evaporation and the proliferation of algae are also kept in check."