The hypermarket chain has just moved to the next stage by commissioning a solar energy plant installed on top of the parking canopies at its site in Colmar.
A flagship project
5.1 MW of solar parking canopies have been installed in the parking lot at the Cora hypermarket in Colmar.
Designed to provide shade for users of the parking lot and protect their vehicles from adverse weather conditions (rain, hot sun), these canopies are specially designed to produce local low-carbon electricity.
A second self-consumption plant which directly powers the hypermarket will complete this project.
This is a concrete contribution towards the environmental targets that the group has set and accelerates the local production of low-carbon energy.
A partnership and other forthcoming projects
Another project, similar to the one in Colmar, is being developed at the site in Montbeliard. Here, 20% of the site’s energy needs will be covered by a self-consumption power plant. Other projects are under discussion and will be added to these first two.
Sharing the same values and environmental commitment, both groups have therefore formed a partnership in order to work together to decarbonize the group’s retail outlets, whilst improving energy efficiency and lowering the cost of energy for the Cora group’s real estate.
“We are very happy with this collaboration between our two groups. Urbasolar strives every day to develop large-scale environmentally-friendly energy projects and this partnership, involving a major player in the retail distribution sector, is the perfect illustration of the daily commitment shown by our teams” says Gilles Amendola, Assistant General Manager at Urbasolar.
“With these new solar canopies, which cover part of the energy needs of our store in Colmar, Cora has taken an important step forward: we are responding both to the challenge of improving energy efficiency and lowering the cost of energy for our real estate, whilst providing optimum comfort for our visitors. Our Group is also proud to be supported in this energy transition by a French specialist in the solar energy sector”, said Papa Diawara, Technical and Estates Director at Cora France.
Cora Colmar hypermarket Parking – Photo Credit : Urbasolar