It would be the first ring road in France covered with a photovoltaic shade. A study has been launched to equip the 45 km of the Bordeaux ring road with a giant shade house made up of photovoltaic sensors. This project carried by an architect-urban planner from the Paris region, is on the desk of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, reveals the mayor of Bordeaux Pierre Hurmic (EELV) who was asked a few months ago, and who says he defends it ardently .
“I was seized of this project when the city of Bordeaux received a prize from theGolden gesture [association représentant les métiers du bâtiment]within the framework of various urban realizations of heating networks, explains Pierre Hurmic to 20 minutes this Friday. This association then told me about this architect-urban planner who was thinking about covering the Bordeaux ring road. I looked at the project which immediately seemed very interesting to me, because I am on the lookout for the smallest spaces to promote solar energy on our territory, and we don’t have that many in town. »
A structure also equipped with CO2 and particle sensors
The project would cover a total surface area of 200 ha, “and would enable production to supply 40,000 homes if they are all-electric (heating, hot water, etc.) or 80,000 homes if they are half-electric” specifies Pierre Hurmic.
A first study, rather summary, was submitted to the mayor of Bordeaux. We can read there that this shelter would also be supplemented by CO2 and particle sensors, gases which would themselves be transformed into domestic energy. The structure would also be equipped with “sound traps” capable of reducing traffic noise by 38 dB. Finally, the panels would be fitted with rainwater collectors, which would be stored in retention basins for dry periods.
“I would like Bordeaux to be a pioneer city in terms of solar energy”
“I spoke to Prime Minister Jean Castex about it, whom I spoke to on the phone at the beginning of April, continues Pierre Hurmic. This is a project that is the responsibility of the State, since it owns the ring road, but I want to support it and I believe in its feasibility. “The mayor of Bordeaux hopes that it can be realized “as soon as possible” even if he thinks that it cannot be done all at once. “The ring road crosses several municipalities, but we can start with those where the mayors are the most voluntary, of which I am a part. »
Financially the project has not been quantified, but it could be carried by a private partner, like the photovoltaic power plant of Labarde, inaugurated Thursday in Bordeaux. Installed on a former landfill, it is currently the largest power plant in an urban environment in Europe. “I would like Bordeaux to be a pioneer city in terms of solar energy, and after the Labarde power plant, we must continue projects to move towards energy independence. »
Objective: 60,000 m2 of solar roofs
Especially since spaces are rare, and Pierre Hurmic is less enthusiastic when it comes to installing power plants in natural areas, such as the Horizeo project in Saucats, south of Bordeaux. “The metropolises use a lot of their nearby territories to meet their needs, he regrets. They must give themselves the means to accommodate within their perimeter the infrastructures intended for their energy independence, and this project goes in this direction. »
The city of Bordeaux is carrying out several other projects on its side. “We are studying all the possibilities, and I want that by the end of my mandate, 60,000 m2 of municipal building roofs will be equipped with solar panels. In particular, there will be the submarine base, schools, etc. All future buildings will be equipped with solar power, an approach which is made easier with the development of materials, I am thinking in particular of solar tiles. But we know that this will not be enough to achieve the carbon neutrality to which we have committed. The ring road represents in this sense “a great opportunity” that the mayor of Bordeaux does not want to miss.