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Fos-sur-Mer

Solar power plant in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France. Approximate location 43.4557, 4.9042.

SolarProvence-Alpes-Cote d'AzurFrance

Fos-sur-Mer is a 2 MW solar power plant in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France. It is operated by Air Liquide SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 723 homes (estimated). It ranks #1792 of 2,216 France power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1999, it is around 27 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 5.6% of France's electricity; the national grid averages 41 gCO₂/kWh (94.9% low-carbon) (2025).

2Legacy source-record capacity
723homes powered (est.)
1999commissioned (~27 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1025356.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFos-sur-Mer WRI
CountryFrance · Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur WRI
Coordinates43.4557, 4.9042 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity2 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAir Liquide SA [100%] WRI
Commissioned1999 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1792 of 2216 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#545 of 817 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.63× · 3 MW median · 817 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent723 calculated
Climate15.2°C · HDD 1,559 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2 MW, Fos-sur-Mer is below the median solar plant in France (3 MW). Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in France

Cestas: 300 MW300CestasLes Mées: 95 MW95Les MéesGréoux-les-Bains: 82 MW82Gréoux-les…Rosières-en-Haye: 79 MW79Rosières-e…Salaunes: 73 MW73SalaunesFontenet: 65 MW65FontenetLosse: 63 MW63LosseMassangis: 56 MW56Massangis

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Air Liquide SA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 43.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.2°Cannual mean temp
1,559heating degree-days (base 18°C)
543cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
8 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 8 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 16 °CON: 11 °CND: 8 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 37% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 35/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
16.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
19 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #545 largest solar power plant of 817 in France by capacity.

France has 817 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 5,030 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 43.4557, 4.9042 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Fos-sur-Mer?

Fos-sur-Mer is a 2 MW source-record solar power plant in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France, commissioned in 1999.

How many homes can Fos-sur-Mer power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 723 homes (estimated).

Who operates Fos-sur-Mer?

Fos-sur-Mer is operated by Air Liquide SA [100%].

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