TotalEnergies Chooses Nexans Solar Trackers To Recycle A Landfill Site Into A Solar Farm

• Nexans KEYLIOS solar trackers were installed in the PV plant to redevelop the La Fenasse landfill site near Béziers in the south-west of France.
• The Innovative design of the KEYLIOS solar trackers plays a significant role in TotalEnergies new 1.6 megawatt (MW) solar farm.
• Unique foundation design enables solar arrays to be constructed on unstable ground, opening-up previously unsuitable sites, such as disused landfill operations, for conversion into solar farms.

Nexans innovative KEYLIOS solar trackers were installed at the La Fenasse site, a former Technical Landfill Center located near Béziers in southwestern France, which is currently being converted to a 1.6 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) farm.

TotalEnergies is a pioneer in renewable energy in France. It develops, builds and operates green electricity production plants, including wind, photovoltaic and hydroelectricity, with more than 360 sites totaling nearly 1,100 MW.

The La Fenasse project is carried out in partnership with Omexom ENR SO, a subsidiary of the Vinci group, which is responsible for installing the trackers and the electrical package.

The KEYLIOS solar tracker was developed by Nexans Solar Technologies (NST) an internal start-up created in 2018 as part of Nexans' strategic plan to support the transition to renewable energies. Thanks to its disruptive design, the solar tracker only needs two foundations for a typical 36 kilowatt (kW) array. In contrast, a conventional design would need three to five times more.

Yann Duclot, CEO of Nexans Solar Technologies, said: “Nexans Solar Technologies Keylios solar tracker design unlocks the potential of new fields. We want to support the industry in opening the potential of new lands which were not feasible or permissible in the past; landfills, slag land, former industrial sites, unstable grounds, and with slopes up to 15%”.

He added “Our industrialized workshop is disruptive and ensures a trouble free, safe and fast project execution which will benefit the entire solar farm value chain. Supporting the industry in improving their Return On Investment (ROI) with the possibility to acquire cheaper lands contributes to the industry development”.

The solar trackers form a powerful synergy with the expanding portfolio of Nexans KEYLIOS solar products that provide full end-to-end energy and data cabling solutions. This includes ENERGYFLEX photovoltaic copper cables ready-to-fit photovoltaic harnesses, low voltage (LV) DC underground aluminum cables, medium-voltage (MV) AC cables for grid connections and pre-connected jumpers – all supported by the Nexans dedicated engineering team.