Since its birth in 1938, the SNCF has exclusively operated trains. Today, it adds a string to its bow: the production of solar energy entrusted to a new subsidiary, SNCF Renouvelables. “By 2030, we will be able to cover 15% to 20% of our electricity needs by installing solar panels on 1,000 hectares of land that belongs to us”, explains Jean-Pierre Farandou, CEO of SNCF. Solar-powered TGVs will no longer be science fiction.
By also lining its offices and stations with photovoltaic panels, the group should achieve a total installed capacity of 1,000 MWp (megawatts-peak), the equivalent of a nuclear power plant. This will make it one of the largest producers of solar energy in France. If the public company takes this turn, it is not only to be the good pupil of the ecological transition advocated by the government. “Having electricity in sufficient quantity and at a controlled cost is strategic, considers Jean-Pierre Farandou. We rediscovered it during the war in Ukraine when energy prices soared. »
The issue is even fundamental for the group, which is the largest industrial consumer of electricity in France. Soaring energy costs in 2022 are hitting it hard. In 2023, SNCF Voyageurs will have spent 700 million euros more than last year to buy its energy. Producing electricity yourself from solar energy will make it possible to achieve substantial savings. “The megawatt hour costs 70 euros maximum, while it sold for 125 euros on the Spot market on Thursday”, underlines Jules Nyssen, president of the SER (Renewable energy union).
In this case, the SNCF is not starting from scratch, even if it already has 12 million square meters lined with solar panels. In particular on the roofs of stations or the shades of its car parks. But, by changing scale, the group also wants to change its method. Until now, he rented his surfaces to solar energy suppliers. This time, it will produce its electricity.
A project that will require 1 billion investment by 2030. The SNCF will not necessarily assume these costs alone. “ Investment funds and banks could be interested in participating in the project,’ underlines Jean-Pierre Farandou. And the use of this energy which cannot be stored will require very close monitoring: at peak times when many trains are running, the SNCF will still buy electricity. At off-peak hours, she will sell some.
The group has some time to prepare for this: the build-up will be gradual. This year, the SNCF will install solar panels on around thirty sites. In 2027, the objective is to “line” 300 hectares. With strict specifications: favor the purchase of panels made in France or in Europe. Which is not easy at a time when the Chinese monopolize this market. The company will achieve this if Carbon, in Fos-sur-Mer, and Holosolis, in Sarreguemines, open their giga-panel factories as planned in 2025.
But the SNCF sees even further than 2030. If technology finally makes it possible to install longitudinal panels along the tracks, 10,000 hectares will be covered with solar panels in 2050. Enough to make the SNCF more than self-sufficient in energy on this horizon.
