Le Figaro Bordeaux,
Will the Bordeaux ring road soon be completely covered with solar panels?
This is the large-scale futuristic project desired by Pierre Hurmic, the environmentalist mayor of Bordeaux.
Announced in May 2021, this ambitious project would produce electricity for around 40,000 homes.
It would be the largest urban solar power plant in France.
A feasibility study and a first experiment could soon see the light of day.
This vast shadehouse could extend all along the 45 kilometers of the Bordeaux ring road, the longest ring road in France.
It would be equipped with rainwater collectors, C02 sensors and "
sound traps
" to reduce the noise generated by automobile traffic.
Since solar panels absorb a large part of the light rays, motorists could also have to use their vehicle's air conditioning less in summer.
“Constructive discussions” with the government
However, since the ring road is managed by the State (by the Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing and the Interdepartmental Directorate for Atlantic Roads), this project can only see the light of day with the support of the government. .
It is in this sense that Pierre Hurmic met the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, on December 21.
At the end of this interview, the mayor of Bordeaux underlined “
constructive exchanges
” with the minister “
on the opportunity of a feasibility study for the solar ring road in Bordeaux metropolis
”.
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If the project is therefore officially under discussion, several years could nevertheless pass before this solar shelter emerges from the ground.
In May 2022, "
the largest urban solar power plant in Europe
" was built in Bordeaux Lac, on the Labarde site.
It has 140,000 photovoltaic panels with an estimated production of 75,000 MWh, which saves “
more than 2,940 tonnes of CO2 per year and supplies green electricity to the needs of more than 30,000 households each year
”.
A project launched in 2009 which will have taken more than ten years to see the light of day.