The “SNCF Renouvelables” subsidiary, made official on Thursday July 6, promises to offer some of the country’s largest capacities in terms of green energy. The railway company has high ambitions.
SNCF, the leading consumer of electricity in France, announced Thursday the creation of a new subsidiary dedicated to renewable energies, whose main ambition will be to make a major contribution to the production of carbon-free electricity. SNCF Renouvelables, that’s its name, is preparing to transform the production and consumption of electricity for trains in France over the next few years.
1,000 megawatts-peak of electricity from photovoltaic panels: SNCF’s ambition
By 2030, the SNCF should have installed 1,000 megawatts-peak (MWp) of photovoltaic capacity, spread over some 1,000 hectares. It is the equivalent of a nuclear reactor. To illustrate, this capacity alone would weigh between 15 and 20% of the company’s current electricity needs. SNCF Renouvelables, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the French railway company, will install solar power plants all over France in the years to come.
The company, which will officially begin its activity during the summer, headed by the current deputy director of energy transition within SNCF Emmanuel Mroz, will exploit its land reserves (estimated at 12 million square footage and 100,000 hectares of land) to install thousands of photovoltaic panels.
” Thanks to its territorial network, the SNCF gives itself the means to produce the energy that it, and the railway sector as a whole, will need; and from which local authorities will also be able to benefit thanks to the partnerships that we wish to enter into with them. “, commented the president of the SNCF group, Jean-Pierre Farandou.
And from 2030, signs along the tracks?
The SNCF buys around 9 TWh of electricity every year to run and operate its 15,000 trains and 3,000 stations or tertiary and industrial buildings. This energy cap is fundamental for the company, since the rail share should double by 2040. At the same time, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it, given the immense potential for “solarization” of the SNCF, that it is estimated at 100,000 hectares.
Of the 3,000 French stations managed by SNCF Gares & Connexions, 100 small car parks are already equipped, in accordance with the partnership concluded last year before the Provençal company Tenergie, which already constituted, at the time, a serious step forward .
Regarding the installation of the next solar panels, operations will start in 2023 on around thirty sites. SNCF Renouvelables refers to ” ground power plants, building roofs and car park shades “, spread over several regions. If the work progresses quickly, longitudinal and vertical solar panels could, from 2030, be installed along the tracks, with portions of 20 to 30 kilometers.
Sources: SNCF
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