OREANDA-NEWS. Yann Rolland, CEO of Cofely Ineo, ENGIE Group, and Michael Coudyser, CEO of Corsica Sole, officially inaugurate today the Solar Smart Grid at Alata, a solar power plant linked to a smart energy storage and management solution, in presence of Paul Giaccobi, President of the Executive Council of Corsica. It will generate enough electricity to cover the needs of over 1000 households in Corsica.

An innovative power plant combining power generation and smart management of solar energy

Located in Alata, 20 kilometers north of Ajaccio, in southern Corsica, this Solar Smart Grid, designed and deployed by Cofely Ineo and run by Corsica Sole, combines a 4.4 MWc ground-based photovoltaic power plant, featuring 13,455 solar panels, with an innovative smart energy storage and management solution[1], which includes:

-          Lithium-ion battery storage technology;

-          An energy conversion device;

-          A smart management system[2] that controls and adjusts the power produced in real time.  

Surplus power generated during very sunny periods is stored so it can be fed into the grid at times where there is less sun. As a result, peaks and troughs are smoothed out, stabilising power generation and freeing it from variable weather and peaks in demand. This allows the Alata Solar Smart Grid to anticipate and stabilise solar energy generation.

ENGIE, a key player in the development of renewable energies and storage innovation

With this new power plant, ENGIE is bringing innovation to the field of energy storage, a key element in the process of decarbonising energy uses and decentralising methods of generating power. ENGIE is trialling a number of projects to make decentralisation an asset in making the energy transition a success. For example, the Group develops electricity storage for industrial and service sector sites, rolls out the “Smart Grid Experience”, a smart grid covering an entire business park – in Toulouse, etc.

A focus on renewable energy is one of ENGIE’s priority strategies, and the Group is aiming to become the leader of the energy transition in Europe. The Group intends to double its renewable electricity capacities between 2015 and 2025 to reach 16 GW. ENGIE also holds positions of leadership across the world, with over 20 GW3 of installed capacity from renewable energy – almost 20% of its overall installed capacity.

With the acquisition last July of Solairedirect, a key player in competitive solar energy generation, ENGIE now leads the sector in France with a total gross installed capacity of 383 MW[3]. In France, the Group is also the leader in onshore wind farms (over 1,450 MW) and is expanding in the field of renewable marine energy with projects involving offshore wind farms (Dieppe – Le Tréport, the islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier – 1000 MW) and tidal energy.