Photovoltaic in Southern France

WSB Neue Energien Group Opens Cavillargues PV Plant. Optimised cost structure makes feed-in tariff of € 0.0717/kWh possible.

Nîmes/Dresden, 4 May 2016 – With fantastic annual average irradiation figures of 1.576 kWh per square metre, the ground-mounted system was officially opened in April 2016. The 4.2 megawatt Cavillargues photovoltaic plant is located near Avignon in the Department of Gard. A long-term power supply contract has been agreed with EDF for the plant developed and built by VSB énergies nouvelles, the French subsidiary of WSB Neue Energien Group.

Cavillargues was erected on a municipal site in the heart of the “Garrigue”, a typical Mediterranean heath landscape. A total of 16,440 BenQ Poly 260 Wp modules were installed in just three months. On paper, that means the PV plant can supply clean energy to roughly 4,000 households. The electricity is purchased by French power supply company EDF, with which VSB concluded a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Cost optimisations in the planning and construction process had a key influence on the feed-in tariff of just € 0.0717/kWh. “We have been developing wind and photovoltaic projects in France for 15 years. This experience helps us streamline processes, reduce costs and maximise potential when operating the plants,” explains Emmanuel Macqueron, Managing Director of VSB énergies nouvelles.

VSB is one of the top 10 project developers in France and has installed roughly 285 megawatts of wind and solar power capacity since 2001. The company is represented in three locations, Nîmes, Rennes and Reims. For further information, see: <link http: www.vsb-en.eu _blank>www.vsb-en.eu.

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