Targeting the French solar market: Greenbuddies partnership with SFECO

Cooperation between Greenbuddies and SFECO

Our installation teams have been working on French PV projects on a regular basis since 2021. Among our projects, we would now like to present two projects that we have successfully completed in collaboration with the French company SFECO. Both of these projects were built on land that can be considered brownfields by definition, i.e., unused land that is lying fallow and whose original use has disappeared.

SFECO stands for Societé Francaise d´Energie et Construction, which translates as the French Society for Energy and Construction. This company operates on the same principle as we do at Greenbuddies and carries out projects in France. Like our teams at Greenbuddies, SFECO designs and installs panels for onshore power plants, floating power plants, greenhouses, hangars, or rooftops. France pays more attention to renewables and the energy industry than the Czech Republic and is undergoing a transformation with a growing demand for clean and renewable energy sources. As of July 1, 2023, the French law regarding the environment of corporate energy facilities has changed. In practice, this means, for example, that companies with more than 80 parking spaces have a legal obligation to install solar carports. This major step in the energy transformation aims to promote the use of solar energy and reduce the company's carbon footprint. 

PV installed on French brownfield sites

We have already successfully implemented several projects with SFECO. Of note is the Ploquin project, with a total installed capacity of 5 MWp, which we completed in autumn 2023 and is interesting because it is built on part of a formerly mined limestone quarry. The project is located in the town of Mouthiers-sur-Boëme, which is particularly well known to prehistory enthusiasts. The quarries date back to the Roman era and the early Middle Ages, after which they were filled in and gradually disappeared under houses. 

The quarry in which we built the PV plant is not part of the archaeological surveys, and thus the construction of the plant did not have to be interrupted in any way. The newly created valley around the PV site surrounds the building on three sides, with only the remnants of limestone rock on the south. Above the quarry, there is beautiful nature and a rich forest. In its original form, the quarry was covered with greenery (see bottom photo). The shape of the PV panel structure is one of the most interesting PV structures we have installed.
 

The second French Greenbuddies project built on a reclaimed landfill

Another interesting project implemented in cooperation with SFECO is the Fauillet project, which has an installed capacity of 5 MWp. This project was built on a former remediated landfill site.
 

When the decision was made to convert the landfill into a photovoltaic power plant, the surrounding landowners and the surrounding public were enthusiastic about the plan. The construction of the plant has definitely contributed to the improvement of the region. Solar parks are one of the least intrusive of all the options for reclaiming a former landfill site, both aesthetically, acoustically, and in terms of dust during and after construction. Among other things, PV plants contribute to reducing local emissions.

It is clear that the use of renewable energy sources will have to be expanded throughout the EU in the coming years. Solar panels are the least intrusive on nature compared to other energy sources, such as wind or coal-fired power plants. Photovoltaic panels are increasing around us as time goes on, and society is getting used to their presence and increasingly recognizing their value to the world.