Juwi has inaugurated a 25MW solar farm in the French Pyrenees with a number if sustainability and biodiversity measures included in the project.
The 87 hectares site has been split into 10 blocks to reduce the visual impact with improvements included to encourage bees, continue sheep grazing and replant vineyards.
Embankments, hedgerows and small streams have been incorporated into the site to boost its integration into the landscape.
“We are really proud of this project,” said Delphine Guinet, project manager at juwi EnR, the French subsidiary of juwi. “It was a grand challenge in ecological as well as in economic and political terms – it took us six years to fulfil the high demands of all parties involved.”
A flock of 200 sheep will graze the site. The sowing of 11 hectares of plants will be used by a local beekeeper to produce honey from the site.
A total of 43 hectares of vineyards have also been replanted.
“Our solar park allows us to increase the value of an agricultural zone, which had almost been given up,” said Raymond Pla, mayor of Ortaffa. “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,” he added.