Articop expands and installs solar panels

Articop, a cooperative serving the construction industry, has moved to larger premises and installed a photovoltaic system on its new roof. The cooperative, based near Lyon, has taken over part of the former Mavilor factory site, using 25,000 square meters of its roof for the project.

Solar plant details and capacity

The installation includes 3,700 photovoltaic panels covering 10,000 square meters, with a total capacity of 1.7 megawatts peak (MWc). This system is expected to generate nearly 2 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually, enough to power about 800 people.

Comparison to other solar projects

Articop’s solar plant is among the largest in the Loire department, though much smaller than a 28 MWc solar roof recently built on a Samsung factory in Vietnam. That plant is expected to produce around 40 GWh of renewable electricity each year.

Partnership with EH2 for solar project

Articop partnered with EH2, a renewable energy company, to finance and install the solar system. EH2 will manage the plant for 30 years, and the two companies will split the revenue from electricity sales, which is projected to reach 180,000 euros annually.

Growing trend of solar partnerships

This type of collaboration is expected to become more widespread, similar to the use of photovoltaic canopies over parking lots. These installations add value to commercial properties while generating electricity near where it is used.