E.D.F. Energies Nouvelles, a renewable energy company that is half-owned by the state“s Electricite de France, is partnering with US solar panel manufacturer First Solar to build a EUR 90 million (US…
E.D.F. Energies Nouvelles, a renewable energy company that is half-owned by the state“s Electricite de France, is partnering with US solar panel manufacturer First Solar to build a EUR 90 million (USD 128 million) solar manufacturing plant that will be the largest in France. France“s state-owned utility and the American company said that the plant would initially be able to produce enough panels to generate more than 100 megawatts of power under peak conditions. (Enough electricity to power about 20,000 residential homes). The companies have not yet chosen a site or placed a date on the project“s start or completion. The unit of Electricite de France raised EUR 500 million (USD 710 million) in 2008 for expansion into the photovoltaic sector from its current activities in biomass, biofuel and biogas. It has committed to buying the new plant“s entire output for the first 10 years of production. According to a recent forecast by Emerging Energy Research, a consulting firm, the installed capacity of solar arrays in France could reach 5,400 megawatts by 2020, or about 10% of all electricity generation. Today it is about 100 megawatts, or less than 1% of use. Strong demand is also expected from Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain, the report said. Thomas Gregory, an analyst at Emerging Energy Research, said that quality issues with imported panels from China could give European manufacturers a boost. There“s definitely a market, and it“s much higher than it has been in previous years, Gregory said. Having a production facility in the EU is a good idea right now to supply developers putting up power plants in the EU. But he said much of the benefit of the E.D.F.-First Solar partnership could come from the bragging rights of selling sustainable energy products locally.