Developing RENs, a necessity for speeding up the energy transition of the territories and France
Energy transition requires a drastic reduction of dependency on fossil fuels and increasing the share of renewable energies. France has set the target of 40% of renewable energies in its electricity mix by 2030.
The first company to produce exclusively 100% renewable electricity in France, CNR relies on its historic foundations — hydroelectricity — and henceforth develops additional expertise in wind power, solar power, renewable hydrogen and storage, supported by its subsidiaries Solarhona et Vensolair.
With 4,189 MW of installed capacity and the aim of deploying an additional 1,200 MW by 2030, CNR is building a multi-energy model with an integrated vision: producing, optimising, innovating and assisting the territories to obtain more sober and sustainable energy.
Its actions are structured around three strategic bases:
- Accelerating renewable energy production;
- Innovating to overcome climatic and technical challenges;
- Optimising the performance of assets by implementing advanced supervision and industrial excellence.
Objective: diversify its green energy production throughout France and strengthen its key role in the combat against climate change and for energy sovereignty.
Key figures
15 TWh
Total energy production
3 103 MW
Hydroelectric production, for a production of 13.3 TWh
1 086 MW
For wind power (854 MW) and solar power (232 MW), the symbolic barrier of 1,000 MW of installed capacity, with almost 146 wind farms in operation and a production of 1.7 TWh
94%
In addition to being competitive and quick to install, RENs are also mostly recyclable: 94% of the components of solar power plants and 95% of land-based wind farms can be reused.
Developing renewable energies, a necessity for France Durée : 8:50
45 hydropower plants on the Rhone
Hydroelectricity: historic expertise and potential for the future
The leading source of renewable energy, the second source of energy production behind nuclear power, hydroelectricity is both storable and controllable, and it is a major asset for the French energy mix.
Between 1938 and 1986, CNR built 20 large hydropower plants on the Rhone, to which must be added many small and medium-sized installations.
The company now produces 25%of all French hydroelectricity thanks to its 46 hydropower plants, i.e. a total of 3,106 MW.
CNR optimises these performances through the precise control of discharges, structures and hydrological forecasts.
78 solar power plants
Solar energy production began in 2008 on the roof of the hydropower plant of Bollène, in Vaucluse.
Roofs, canopies, ground-based, floating and agrivoltaics, CNR has solid technical expertise for installing solar panels on existing buildings and those under construction, lakes and water bodies, and anthropized sites, thanks to its two subsidiaries: Solarhona for small ground-based plants, roofs and canopies (up to 5 MW) and Vensolair for large photovoltaics (from 5 MW upwards). More than an additional 50 MW are under construction, strengthening CNR’s goal of equipping the available sites in the territories.
69 wind farms
Land-based wind power continues to prove its efficiency for meeting electricity demand. This mature technology still has great potential for exploitation, subject to its acceptability and integration in the territories by associating the stakeholders.
Vensolair, a subsidiary of CNR, has developed full expertise regarding the value chain from prospection to operation:
- land-based wind farms,
- high power solar power plants,
- green hydrogen,
- energy storage.
Zoom on COCPIT, the expert in renewable energy management
Thanks to this integrated industrial model, CNR provides unique expertise in the management of intermittent energies.
A unique facility in France, the intermittent production management and optimisation centre (COCPIT) brings together expert teams based in Lyon who:
- control together wind and solar power assets,
- plan electricity resources according to weather forecasts,
- optimise the injection of electricity in the market,
- manage in real-time the flexibility of the plants.
Reactive and effective, COCPIT anticipates fluctuations of the wind and sun, variations in the discharges of the Rhone, and the constraints of the electricity network.
COCPIT is a strategic tool governing performance for managing intermittence.
The energy circuits: opening the doors of energy transition
Transforming the energy of water, wind and sun into 100% renewable electricity has been our passion for more than 90 years!
That is why CNR is dedicated to opening and showcasing its industrial heritage. The energy circuits offer the public an immersive voyage to discover: the hydropower plant of Génissiat, the hydroelectric gem of the Rhone, the hydropower plant of Bollène and its unique architecture, and the wind farms and solar power plants all over France to understand everything about renewable energies.
To enhance these visits, CNR also offers energy workshops designed for primary and secondary school pupils, and a pedagogical resource facility À la source to continue the exploration.
This project, developed in the framework of the missions in the general interest, was designed in close collaboration with the local authorities. It also answers a strong demand by the local populations to discover or rediscover the sites that have shaped the landscape and economic dynamism of the territories.
Achievements and projects
View all major projects
Renewable energies
Renewable energies