Why choose Solairedirect?

Our aim

• To put solar-generated electricity within everyone’s reach

Our skill areas

• Manufacture of solar panels
• Development of solar power systems for all (ground-based solar power plants, solar arrays for houses, agricultural buildings and tertiary sector property.)
• Management of administrative and regulatory issues
• Design (research unit) and construction of arrays
• Arranging finance packages
• Array operation
• Dismantling of arrays at the end of their operational life span

Our shareholders come from the world of French institutional investment and work closely with local authorities

• Caisse des Dépôts (through the Demeter Investment Fund), number one in infrastructure project financing
• Schneider Electric, world leader in electrical distribution equipment, control, robotics and automation solutions
• TechFund, a French investment fund specialising in the energy sector

Partnerships with major banking institutions

• Caisse des Dépôts – Local investment and infrastructure projects, co-development partner.
• Natixis, At the forefront of providing financing for the renewable energy field.
• Caisse d’Epargne, partners the packages aimed at private customers
• Crédit Agricole, partners the packages designed for customers from the agricultural sector.

An inexhaustible resource: silicon, the solar cell’s base material, is the second most common material found on earth.
This tried, tested and dependable technology has offered proven performance for over 40 years.
Exceptional long-term performance: The makers of crystalline panels guarantee their performance over a 25 year period.
Its impressive energy conversion efficiency allows for the optimal use of surface space, delivering more power in less space in a world where space is at a premium due to growing housing demand:

• Using polycrystalline silicon, 2 ha is enough for an array that will have a 1MWp installed capacity. 'Thin film' cells, on the other hand need more than twice this surface area.
• Moreover, the use of heavy metals in thin film cells remains controversial.

Solar arrays can be fully dismantled and are also recyclable, meaning that the site can be returned to its original state at the end of the array’s operational life span.

Solairedirect has its own solar panel manufacturing unit in South Africa
By manufacturing its own solar panels, Solairedirect ensures that its projects can rely on secure, dependable and controlled sources of supply.

A team of technicians, dedicated to innovation in the field of photovoltaic solar power:
Improving panel performance;
Development of new building-integrated arrays…

A planned increase in our production capacity:
Site location choice analysis for a new manufacturing unit in the South of France.

A twin objective:
Control and improve the quality of the panels installed by Solairedirect;
Cut production costs in order to be the first to offer solar power electricity at rates that can compete with average market KWh prices.

More than half of Solairedirect’s employees are based in the South of France

Aix-en-Provence: Solar power plant division serving the entire Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur area.
Bastia: Corsican centre
Sisteron, Avignon: Regional offices
Sales offices: Fréjus, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse, Paris
 

Impressive brand profile and recognition at local level

• Solaire Durance, a joint subsidiary of Solairedirect and la Caisse des Dépôts
• The Cap Energies competitive cluster has awarded its certification to the Vinon-sur-Verdon Solar power plant.

More than 50 solar power plants currently under development, representing a 300MWp installed capacity, with another 700 MWp installed capacity being planned.

The first and only solar power plant to receive certification from the Capénergie competitive cluster will start producing clean electricity during the first quarter of 2009.


 

Solairedirect is the only company in France to have successfully satisfied the full range of administrative requirements needed to begin operating a solar power plant:

• Consultation with the local population and local representatives and state actors;
• Public inquiry and publication of an environmental impact assessment;
• Changes to the regulations relating to local land use;
• Application for and granting of full planning permission
• Interconnection agreement with ERDF

Solairedirect is the only company with hands-on experience in constructing solar power plants in France notably in terms of the technical, environmental and electricity grid connection-related issues that are specific to this field.

Sustainable partnerships and local development projects

• Projects for positive energy, carbon neutral municipalities;
• Combination of solar power plant and arrays for private customers, farmers and businesses,

Multi-faceted projects relevant to various fields

• Energy use and climate change;
• Economic and social issues;
• Agriculture and rural life;
• Architecture and landscaping (with particular attention being paid to the second point)
• Education and tourism.

A culture demonstrated by our choice of partners:
Solairedirect has developed organic relationships with la Caisse des Dépôts and mutual savings/cooperative banks (Caisse d’Epargne, Crédit Agricole, Friendly Societies…)

A rationale based on a collective project that will generate the support of the local population
We can develop packages that are tailor-made to individual local authority areas and their inhabitants.