Solar energy boost for France as vast project opens
France has launched the country’s largest-ever solar energy farm, with an array of panels spread over about 200 hectares in the mountainous southern Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region.
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It has roughly the same surface area as the nearby principality of Monaco, an independent state.
With a production capacity of 90 megawatts, the vast photovoltaic park features nearly 113,000 solar panels and was built at a cost of 110 million euros
"It is the largest solar site currently in service in France," said Stephane Behr, the head of the project at French energy firm Eco Delta.
The launch comes as Europe increasingly seeks alternative energy sources amid rising global carbon emissions from fossil fuels and concerns over atomic energy in the wake of Japan's nuclear disaster.
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