Along the Seine River, Paris has unveiled the largest mobile and floating solar power plant in the world, marking a significant milestone for sustainable energy. Sponsored by EDF ENR, a division of the energy giant EDF, this state-of-the-art photovoltaic system intends to transform the use of green energy at important international events, beginning with the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024.
Located at the busy Olympic and Paralympic Square in the Athletes’ Village, the floating solar power plant supplies clean electricity to the main hub which serves as a gathering place for athletes, media, and tourists. In addition, the location has several attractions, such as stores and big screens that show live competition footage.
The 470 square meter plant runs on a self-consumption model, producing 78 kWp, or enough electricity to power 94 apartments. Thanks to this clever approach, it modifies its output in real-time to meet the site’s consumption requirements rather than feeding electricity into the national grid. The system’s design prioritizes efficiency and flexibility, allowing for both deployment and disassembly within 24 hours.
The method of installation is a marvel of contemporary engineering. First, the plant’s shipping container is opened, and then the pre-wired solar wings are unfolded. The container, which houses the inverter, safety mechanisms, and all required electrical parts, is then attached to and plugged into these wings.
“This is the first time in the world that we have sailed a photovoltaic power plant. Even if it was only 900 meters, the distance between the place where the installation is unloaded and where it is assembled.” Said Franck Chauveau, EDF’s Director of Major Project Development for Île-de-France.
For major events like the Olympics, trade shows, and festivals, this floating solar plant provides a major advantage over conventional generator-based power solutions. It is the perfect option for temporarily supplying power to locations not linked to the public energy grid due to its portability and simplicity of setup. This idea has piqued the interest of Voies Navigables de France (VNF), the French navigation authority, for use in supplying electricity for construction projects along riverbanks.
Apart from its remarkable technical attributes, the plant plays a major role in mitigating the carbon impact associated with the Paris 2024 Olympics. One prominent element at the Athletes’ Village is a sunshade. Covered in flexible solar panels, this 800 square meter shade structure will produce 110 kW of electricity, meeting around 25% of the energy requirements for the Team Processing Centre – an essential facility for greeting and educating foreign delegations.
In addition, EDF has stated that its subsidiary Izivia will supply 800 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for installation. The purpose of these three-station locations is to facilitate official delegations and lessen the carbon footprint associated with transportation during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
