Just one year after the first panel was installed, the largest urban energy plant ever built to date has started to produce its first kilowatt hours.
This 15 MWp plant, located on contaminated land, site of the dramatic events at the former “AZF” factory, comes replete with surprises and is exceptional in more ways than one.
An exemplary site rehabilitation
Almost 20 years after the terrible explosion at the “AZF” plant, which had a devastating impact on the city and its population, the opening of the solar power plant testifies to the tremendous work done to rehabilitate this site and to restore it to life following the tragedy. This photovoltaic plant is a source of decarbonized electricity production, taking into account the future of our planet and the urban area. Thanks to the know-how and expertise of Toulouse Metropole, the Toulouse Electricity Authority and the Urbasolar teams who have implemented an innovative design and installation processes, this highly polluted site has been given a new lease of life in the form of an emblematic environmental project.
A unique design
Located close to the city center, the photovoltaic plant is immediately distinguished by its innovative design. The plant began life as a Land Art concept, a design approved by the Architectes des Bâtiments de France [Architects of the Buildings of France] and the creation of a Toulouse visual artist, Damien Aspe. It incorporates a pixelation of the image seen from the sky thanks to colored panels interspersed between the photovoltaic modules. This graphic allows the image to change depending on the viewpoint, from Blagnac airport or the future cable car above la Garonne.
A regional project
Created through a joint investment between Toulouse Metropole, the Toulouse Electricity Authority, the Air Climate Energy Agency of the L’Occitane region and Urbasolar, it symbolizes the region’s commitment to the development of renewable energy and the fight against climate change. The people of Toulouse were able to participate in financing the project through the SCIC Citoyen’R and to contribute to this ambitious and necessary objective.
Innovative technology
The power plant is made up of the most innovative components and the latest technological developments developed by the French photovoltaic specialist Urbasolar. Real-time remote monitoring, Big Data and expert software unite the plant’s components together as a connected whole ensuring optimal performance and the interface with the electricity grid is controlled with the greatest efficiency.
Today, the first kilowatt hours produced and distributed within the Toulouse area have given its citizens something to be proud of!
©Urbasolar