A building integrated PV system was inaugurated at Saint Charles International today, a major fruits and vegetables distribution center, by the French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.

After two years of construction, the roofs of the site of Saint Charles International have received a new building skin. The 68,000 m² of roof sheets were replaced by 97,000 PV roof tiles.

With an installed power of 8.8 MW, the system will annually produce 9,800 MWh of solar electricity, which corresponds to about 10% of the electricity consumption of the city of Perpignan.

The system was realized with the innovative PV roofing product SUNSTYLE, developed by Solaire France. The PV roof tiles are manufactured in partnership with the company Saint Gobain Solar.

Saint Charles Solaire financed the power plant, together with its associates Akuo Saint Charles, Caisse des Dépots et Consignation, Solaire France International, the Pool Centrale Solaire and Solaire France, in partnership with the banks Natixis and Banque Populaire du Sud. The investment cost was €54 million.

The system was carried out by company Saint Charles Solaire as client, in collaboration with a group of local enterprises, among them Tecsol as general contractor.