For the project, Martifer Solar worked with Eco Delta, an independent developer and operator of wind and solar farms. Remarkably, the project — which is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France — was built within only 10 weeks.

“The completion of this PV plant is a key indication of Martifer Solar’s success and leadership in mature markets, such as France,” said Henrique Rodrigues, CEO of Martifer Solar. “As the market is moving towards a post-Feed-in-Tariff era, we are prepared to advance our business model in order to drive down the LCoE and to match the evolution towards increased national tender processes and self-consumption projects.”

Martifer Solar completed the PV plant on an area of approximately 200,000 m2, using 42,592 modules installed on fixed structures. The 11 MW plant is expected to produce an estimated 17 GWh/year. With this production capacity, the plant will offset 1,345 tons of carbon dioxide on an annual basis. In addition to the significant environmental benefits that the project provides to Ginasservis, it also provided more than 150 jobs throughout the course of construction.

“As the developer, owner and operator of this 11 MW solar PV plant, Eco Delta is happy to contribute to the growth of the French renewable energy market,” said Chantal GASS, CEO of Eco Delta.

Solar presence in France

A recent report from the Ministry of Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development shows that approximately 1% of France’s electricity demand has been met with solar PV. Given the growing electricity rates and the country’s levels of solar irradiance, there is significant room for development in the maturing French PV market.

“We are proud to deliver this 11 MW project to Eco Delta on time and within only 10 weeks, which attests to our reliability and proven capability as a leading EPC player,” said Davide Pacheco, Country Manager of France for Martifer Solar. “This accomplishment contributes to the clear path set by recently appointed French Energy Minister, Mrs. Segolene Royal, promising green growth and added jobs for the country, where solar energy is undoubtedly an affordable and competitive solution when compared to other energy sources.”

Martifer Solar has been present in France since 2009 and has implemented close to 50 MW of solar projects throughout the country. In the most recent report from reputable research firm, iHS, Martifer Solar is the 5th largest integrated European installer and 11th in terms of PV Integrator market share in France.

For Eco Delta, this marks the company’s 15th PV plant.

Martifer Solar was responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction and will also manage the subsequent operation and maintenance service for the PV plant.