France has set itself ambitious renewable energy targets in order to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. By 2030, the national targets foresee a doubling of renewable energies to reach 40% of electricity production in France (against 20% currently). With 2.2% of electricity produced by solar energy in the first quarter of 2022, production from photovoltaic installations should triple by 2028 in France. Current and future technical innovations will have to allow a harmonious and effective deployment in contexts and on various supports: on roofs, in facade, in shade or on the ground.
In this context, the Ministry of Culture is committed, with the ministries in charge of ecological and energy transitions, to a harmonious translation of this issue in urban (old centres and suburbs), peri-urban (including business areas) and landscaped.
Inserting solar panels into our architectural heritage
This work, carried out jointly by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Energy Transition and the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, resulted in the circular of 9 December 2022 which specifies the link between solar energy development and heritage protection.
As an extension and in order to guarantee a vision throughout the territory, the partner administrations, under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, have also published a Guide to the architectural and landscape integration of solar panels. The latter is intended to provide project leaders with very practical tools, but also to harmonize the assessment of requests, from services, throughout the national territory.
A precursor: the example of the abbey of Fontevraud
Theabbey of Fontevraudfounded in the 12th century, is one of the largest monastic cities in Europe. Listed as a historic monument in 1840 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, its energy renovation has been done in accordance with the architectural and landscape qualities of the site. A first in France for a historical monument.
Since 2012, the site has been equipped with an energy park that combines heat-wood and photovoltaic panels, covering 100% of the site’s needs. The objective was to ensure the thermal comfort and conservation of the buildings in order to achieve the energy transition of the Abbey. The system is semi-buried and equipped with 92 photovoltaic panels, optimally integrated into the architectural and landscape environment of the site.
Protected areas, unprotected areas: a common goal of heritage preservation
- Installation in unprotected areas is subject to a simple prior declaration. However, its acceptability by users is based on a discreet insertion of the panels.
- Projects concerning protected areas (remarkable heritage sites, surroundings of historic monuments, sites classified or registered under the Environmental Code) require an opinion of the competent authorities and in particular the architects of the Buildings of France (ABF).
- In historical monuments: ideally, no projects on listed or classified monuments (on the ground or on the roof), but derogations may be granted, if the projects are discreet and, for the planned installations on the ground, if they do not harm the building.
- For Remarkable Heritage Sites (SPR) and Historic Monument Approaches, insertions on post-war buildings are preferred, respecting SPR regulations.
- The ABFs play a central advisory role, accompanying project leaders to optimize the integration of devices and ensuring, in particular with elected officials, that the installation of solar panels be well supervised by the regulations of remarkable heritage sites
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