From 2029 onwards, this photovoltaic park will generate enough electricity to meet all the needs of the airport and surrounding communities, while restoring agricultural activity on the land on which it will be built.
Anticipating an increase in its electricity needs with the development of electric mobility, the Aéroport du Golfe de Saint-Tropez sought to implement a low-carbon production method on its site that would be compatible with the site’s natural hazards and would enable it to re-establish the sheep farming tradition. The solution provided by Vensolair, a subsidiary of Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, France’s leading producer of 100% renewable electricity, involves the design, construction and operation of a photovoltaic park.
Covering just over 6 hectares, Vensolair will carry out studies to design a project that reconciles agricultural and environmental issues. It will be made up of structures at least 1.5 metres high and spaced to allow farm machinery to pass through. This choice, which mechanically reduces the photovoltaic yield, meets the airport’s agricultural and environmental requirements. Trees already widely present around the identified area will filter views towards the park, to ensure landscape integration along the airport runway. In addition, the installation of solar panels reduces heat and water stress thanks to the shade generated, while increasing the comfort of grazing sheep during the hot season.
Once the environmental and agricultural studies have been completed, the application for authorization will be examined by the French government. Construction is scheduled for 2028, with commissioning in 2029. It should generate 8 GWh a year, whereas the airport’s estimated future needs, with the development of electric aviation, will not exceed 1 GWh. The surplus will cover the equivalent electricity needs of the inhabitants of the commune of La Môle and other neighbouring communes.
“This solution is a win-win situation. For the airport, it ensures low-carbon, economical production that preserves the site’s agricultural activities, and for the region, it’s a localized resource with no impact on the environment,” says Jean-François Guitard, Director of Business Aviation and Development at Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur. “For over 10 years, Nice Côte d’Azur, Cannes Mandelieu and Golfe de Saint-Tropez airports have been using only 100% green electricity of French origin. With this new solution, we are fully in line with our decarbonization roadmap to achieve neutrality without offsetting by 2030.”
“This project will revive the agricultural activity historically present on this plot of land, while contributing to national objectives for the development of renewable energies and the decarbonization of uses,” says Christophe Soulier, Vensolair’s Development Director.