Client
Port de Sète-Frontigan
Funding
Equity
ADEME - French Energy Agency
Evolen
Sun'Sète - Port of Sète, France
The Sun’Sète project, inaugurated on March 17, 2023, is the first offshore photovoltaic farm in France and the Mediterranean.
The project began in 2021. SolarinBlue received approval from the port authorities and obtained all administrative authorizations in 2022, following an impact study.
The demonstrator consists of 2 floating units with a total capacity of 20 kWp. The structures were gradually installed at the commercial port, 1.5 km from the coast, at the site of the former offshore hydrocarbon unloading station.
Characteristics
- 20 kiloWatts
- 1,5km from the jetty
- 2 floating units
Key results
Waves of 8,7 m
Proven results in harsh offshore conditions
Hmax = 11 m at 14 m depth
+6% production compared to rooftop photovoltaics
+ 5 ~ 7 % for bifacial panels
+ 1 ~ 2 % because of lower temperatures
No swell effect
A project made in Occitany
About twenty people participated in the development of the SolarinBlue technology, designed in France. Mechanical structural engineers, hydrodynamic engineers, naval architects, and robotic engineers devoted two years of research and development to the project. Dock trials preceded the launch of the demonstrator.
The demonstrator was manufactured and assembled in the port of Sète by local companies. Some 30 companies from Occitania were involved in the environmental studies, material supply, assembly, logistics, and testing of the innovative ecological anchoring system.
The entire project is part of the Port of Sète's strategy to reduce carbon emissions and its self-consumption targets for 2025. It also contributes to the port's positioning as a center of innovation in marine energy and photovoltaics.
Project schedule
2021 – Project launched after R&D studies
2022 – €1M funding secured from ADEME, TotalEnergies, Technip Energies & ENGIE
2023 – Deployment of Sun'Sète
2024 – First full year of operation
2025 – Transition to Mega Sète