DuPont recently celebrated its largest solar power installation to date — a 4.5 megawatt (MW) solar power plant at its facility in Cernay, France, whose town hall is seen here.
DuPont completed its largest solar power installation to date, a 4.5 megawatt (MW) solar power plant at its facility in Cernay, France.
This is one of 13 solar installations worldwide on DuPont land, which together generate more than 11 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The company’s deployment of solar power continues to expand, consistent with its aim to address the growing global demand for energy while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Spread over 15 acres, the Cernay facility features 18,400 crystalline silicon solar panels, manufactured by Jinko Solar, a global solar panel manufacturer. The solar panels feature advanced materials from DuPont designed to improve the power output, durability and return on investment for solar energy systems. The panels are made with DuPont Tedlar polyvinyl fluoride film-based backsheets, which protect solar panels for more than 30 years even in extreme outdoor conditions, and DuPont™ Solamet® photovoltaic metallization pastes that help ensure maximum power output.
The Cernay installation was connected to the grid in March and is expected to produce 5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar-generated electricity each year, which is roughly the equivalent to the amount of electricity 2,000 households consume every year in France.
The project was developed by Hanau Energies, a French project developer and investor in solar installations, and was built in a record time of two months. It falls under a 20-year power purchase agreement with energy provider Eléctricité Réseau Distribution France (ERDF).
“The solar park in Cernay is a perfect illustration for how advanced and reliable technology and best practices in installation, operations and maintenance can be put into practice,” said Jean-Luc Westphal, president, Hanau Energies.
The project, supported by local municipal authorities, is aligned with Cernay’s federation of municipalities aim to preserve resources and limit its environmental footprint. At the global and national levels, the development of solar and other renewable energy sources are expected to grow in the overall energy mix.
According to industry analyst IHS, France’s annual installation of solar is expected to increase by 50 percent in 2014 to exceed 800MW and should keep growing steadily over the following years. Globally, solar is expected to grow 20 percent annually each of the next several years.
“The Cernay solar park is a brilliant showcase of socially responsible investment and collaboration between the private and public sectors,” said Michel Sordi, member of Parliament and Mayor of Cernay.