Narbonne: a new solar thermal power plant to reduce hot water bills and carbon dependency

Between the increase in gasoline, fuel oil and gas, energy bills are getting heavier and heavier. But in Narbonne, some residents have seen their hot water and heating bills cut by 10%! A discount made possible by the commissioning of a solar thermal power plant.

In Narbonne, a brand new solar thermal power plant has been inaugurated. Its principle is simple: 3,200m2 of sheets heat up in the sun, traversed by a flow of water which heats up on contact. This water is then stored in a tank, then distributed in the district heating network. This technology therefore does not produce electricity, but rather hot water. A way to decarbonize energy production, but also to reduce user bills.

Reducing dependence on carbon energies

Built in the 1970s, this network supplies more than 900 homes in the Saint-Jean Saint-Pierre district of Narbonne, as well as eight schools. Hot water arrives at the taps but also in the users' radiators.

Until 2008, this network was powered exclusively by gas. The construction of a wood-fired boiler has already made it possible to reduce dependence on carbon energies: 65% renewable energy from biomass and 35% from gas. With this new field of solar panels, built by the company Newheat, renewable energies should now represent up to 75% of the contributions.

These solar panels transform 60 to 70% of solar radiation into hot water, "while photovoltaic collectors only transform 15 to 20% of solar radiation into electricity", explains Pierre Delmas, technical director of Newheat. "These panels maintain fairly stable yields over the long term."

A more stable and more economical energy

A more ecological solution, but also more economical: if gas is more and more expensive, solar energy is free. A solution for the future for the manufacturer, Hugues Defréville, president of Newheat. "This energy, it works, it exists, it is competitive. It must be deployed massively.".

"Solar energy is stable in terms of price, it does not experience erratic fluctuations like gas", affirms Fabrice Tenneson, regional director of Dalkia Méditerranée. The extension of the network has already enabled a 10% reduction in subscriber bills.

Today, only 5% of French people are connected to a heating network, compared to 50% of Danes. This solar thermal park is only the fourth of its kind in France.