Q Energy today announced the start of construction of the "Les Ilots Blandin" solar farm in northwestern France. Thanks to an improved design, the plant's capacity has been increased from the original 66 MW to 74.3 MW, making it currently the largest floating solar power plant in Europe. Construction will begin before the end of September and is expected to take around 18 months.
The concept calls for several artificial islands spread across a 127-hectare site of former gravel pits that were decommissioned in 2020. To accomplish this, a total of 134,649 solar modules will be mounted on floating heads and bundled into six islands that will be anchored to the banks or bottom of the flooded pits. The PV power plant will be able to supply the equivalent of around 37,000 inhabitants with clean, green electricity, avoiding around 18,000 tons of CO2 per year. It is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2025.
Also interesting: Start of construction of the floating solar plant on a lake near Cottbus
The design of the plant also took into account the special conditions of the surrounding aquatic ecosystem. The materials used are sustainable and designed to minimize environmental impact while maximizing energy efficiency. The planned floating components will be manufactured directly in France, supporting the growth of a promising European industry.
300 MW development pipeline for floating PV projects in France.
Floating solar farms are an attractive solution for the use of brownfield sites. Q Energy France has already been developing such installations since 2018, mainly in former quarries or gravel pits, and currently has a development pipeline of more than 300 MW of floating PV projects. Floating solar plants are a strategic growth sector for Q Energy in France, where the company is already one of the leading developers.
Watch our video: Bouke van der Weerdt of Huawei FusionSolar: Systems for Agri PV and floating PV
"Les Ilots Bladin is a wonderful example of how water surfaces can also make an important contribution to the energy transition. Q Energy is continuously focusing on new technologies to harness more land in harmony with nature and supply Europe with green electricity," said Jean-Francois Petit, Managing Director of Q Energy France. Q Energy is currently driving a development pipeline of around 6 GW of green energy projects in France and more than 15 GW across Europe. (hcn)
