France opened bidding on Friday for an ambitious project to blanket the country in solar energy plants and push it closer to the forefront of the fight against global warming.
French Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said he wants to build solar plants in each French region by 2011, for a cost of about 1.5 billion euros (US$2.03 billion).
The plan foresees building solar plants that would produce 300 megawatts of electricity, up from about 69 megawatts currently.
Solar energy currently makes a small fraction of electricity produced in France, and even of the renewable energy produced there.
Most of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power.
Expanding solar energy was one of the pledges Borloo made in launching a sweeping program in 2007 meant to make France more environmentally friendly by boosting production of renewable energy, making homes more energy efficient and cars less polluting.
The program was also aimed at catching France up to more ecology-conscious neighbors and making it a pioneer in “green” technology to cut carbon emissions.
France ranks fourth in Europe in terms of total solar energy produced, behind Germany, Spain and Italy. French solar plants are largely concentrated near the country’s southern coast and its overseas territories. The country’s key energy companies — including Total, GDF-Suez and Electricite de France — are all investing in solar energy.
Borloo said the solar plan would include a simplification of administrative steps needed to open up a solar energy plant.
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