juwi-Group constructs solar and agricultural park in French Pyrenees

juwi-Group has constructed a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the French Pyrenees close to the Spanish border.

The solar project features approximately 300,000 solar panels which transform the power of the sun into 35.5 million kilowatt hours of eco-friendly electricity annually.

In order to guarantee the lowest possible impact on the environment and to preserve the surrounding nature as best as possible, the solar park with its total module surface of 21 hectares has been subdivided into ten sections.

Ortaffa Mayor Raymond Pla said: "Our solar park allows us to increase the value of an agricultural zone, which had almost been given up. We revived the tradition of wine-growing, beekeeping and farming in the region."

"As a result of the open dialogue between all parties involved, the park matches the needs of our region and thus stimulates the local economy," Pla added.

juwi EnR, the French subsidiary of the German project developer juwi, project manager Delphine Guinet said: "It was a grand challenge in ecological as well as in economic and political terms – it took us six years to fulfill the high demands of all parties involved."

During all phases of the development, Ortaffa solar park provided local job market and a total of 56 companies were involved in the construction works, of which 40% of them located in the region.

The Ortaffa solar and agricultural park’s financial benefits generated will remain in the community and will continue to increase the local value chain for more than 20 years and even after the end of the feed-in tariffs.

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Image: The Ortaffa solar and agricultural park. Photo: © 2013 juwi AG.