EDF plans solar plant at Euro Disney

Euro Disney Solar Canopy Project aims to deploy photovoltaic canopies and rainwater harvesting at Disneyland Paris, cutting operating costs and carbon emissions, with EDF support and solar energy used on-site or sold to the grid.

Energy company EDF plans to build France's biggest solar-power plant at the Euro Disney theme park resort on the outskirts of Paris. A sweeping structure would see solar cells cover huge canopies built above Euro Disney's 11,000-space car park, which is one of the biggest in Europe.

The canopies could also collect rainwater to reduce Euro Disney's water consumption, and, similar to the Sahara solar plan concept, the solar energy they generate would be used on-site or sold back into the grid.

"It is a very interesting project," says EDF spokeswoman Marilys Dubernet, and, as EDF's wind arm has shown, it could help reduce Euro Disney's €1.2 billion annual running cost. This pushed the company to a €63 million net loss last year. Earlier this month it announced that revenue for the first quarter of 2010 was down 11 per cent year-on-year to €292 million.

But it will take more than the wave of a magic wand to pull off this plan to build what would be one of the biggest solar plants in Europe, with projects like the world's largest PV plant highlighting the scale required. Ms Dubernet says the project is still at the "first stage of development", even as Europe's largest solar farm demonstrates what is already achievable.

Euro Disney already has an agreement with EDF to buy 15 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy sources, and some of its rides run on natural gas. EDF's magic touch would help to reduce the carbon emissions from the 64 per cent of its 15.4 million guests who arrive by car or bus.

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