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Frontignan

Solar power plant in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. Approximate location 43.4481, 3.7493.

SolarLanguedoc-RoussillonFrance

Frontignan is a 4 MW solar power plant in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.5k homes (estimated). It ranks #1470 of 2,216 France power plants by installed capacity. 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).

4Legacy source-record capacity
1,531homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1025052.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFrontignan WRI
CountryFrance · Languedoc-Roussillon WRI
Coordinates43.4481, 3.7493 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity4 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1470 of 2216 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#378 of 817 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.33× · 3 MW median · 817 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,531 calculated
Climate15.0°C · HDD 1,546 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 39/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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 4 MW, Frontignan is well above 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).

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 43.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.0°Cannual mean temp
1,546heating degree-days (base 18°C)
475cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
32 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 9 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 16 °CON: 11 °CND: 9 °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)
39/100environmental-severity index
15.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
22 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 #378 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 43.4481, 3.7493 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Frontignan?

Frontignan is a 4 MW source-record solar power plant in Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

How many homes can Frontignan power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,531 homes (estimated).

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