Solar panels on a hydroelectric power plant by 2027 in Isère

Since the inauguration in 2023 in Lot-et-Garonne of the first French hybrid photovoltaic power plant, based on 10.000 solar panels placed on the ground and others floating on water, many similar projects have emerged.

Most are located on water bodies, particularly quarry lakes. But in 2023, EDF Renewables inaugurated the first plant of this type, installed in the basins of a hydroelectric power plant in Lazer, in the Hautes-Alpes region.

The second, planned for Le Cheylas, should be commissioned in the summer of 2027, with major works starting in early 2026, its promoters explained during the construction site launch ceremony.

"The choice of the Cheylas site reflects EDF's desire to develop its land. We have done this with thermal and nuclear power, and today we are doing it with hydroelectric power," emphasizes Sofiane Boukebbous, Development Director for the Southeast and Overseas Region of EDF Renewables.

The combination of hydroelectric and solar power also has the advantage of improving the productivity of solar panels, as the water allows them to cool, and of retaining some of the evaporation from the body of water, explains Mr. Boukebbous.

The Cheylas solar power plant will have an installed capacity of 44 MWp (megawatt-peak) - compared to 20 GWp for the Lazer plant - and will be able to produce approximately 60 GWh per year, equivalent to the electricity consumption of approximately 28.000 people. It will include 70.000 panels, for which the contract has yet to be awarded.

"The objective is not to equip all of EDF's reservoirs with floating solar power plants, as some sites are not suitable for this combination," explains Sofiane Boukebbous, adding that several sites are nevertheless currently under consideration in France.

France aims to achieve a capacity of at least 100 GW of photovoltaics by 2050.

As of March 31, 2025, the capacity of the photovoltaic solar park reached 26,8 GW, according to government data.