Plans for solar farm call for it to stretch over some six hectares (about 15 acres), and the facility will feature 17,952 crystalline silicon solar panels, manufactured by Jinko Solar.
The panels are made with DuPont™ Tedlar® polyvinyl fluoride film-based backsheets, which protect the panels from the environment and provide essential electrical insulation, and DuPont™ Solamet® photovoltaic metallization pastes, which help ensure reliable and efficient power output of the solar panels, during their expected lifetime of 25 years or more, the company said.
The project will be developed by Hanau Energies, a French project developer and investor in solar installations. It will fall under a twenty-year power purchase agreement with energy provider Eléctricité Réseau Distribution France (ERDF).
The Cernay facility is expected to be connected to the grid by the end of 2013 and the amount of solar-generated electricity the site will produce is roughly estimated to be the equivalent to the amount of electricity consumed 1,800 households.
"We are extremely pleased to collaborate with Hanau Energies to develop the largest solar field on DuPont land in the world," said Martin Virot, Country Leader – DuPont France. "Solar is not only a clean, sustainable source of energy, it is increasingly cost-competitive with other sources of electricity thanks in part to the greater power output and long term reliability that the advanced materials of DuPont provide.
"As the world's population continues to expand and the demand for energy in France and elsewhere continues to grow, DuPont will continue to employ solar technologies to meet the energy challenge," Virot said.
The project, supported by local authorities, is fully aligned with the regional dynamics of Cernay's federation of municipalities to reconcile its growing economic activities and social dynamics while preserving resources and limiting the environmental footprint.
At the national level, 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 next year to exceed 800MW and should keep growing steadily over the following years.
"We are committed to meeting the energy needs in France safely and sustainably, and the DuPont Cernay solar site is another shining example of how we can do this by harnessing the power of the sun, by using advanced and reliable technology and best practices in installation, operations and maintenance," said Jean-Luc Westphal, president - Hanau Energies.
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