French automotive company Snop has selected EDP to develop solar power plants in its facilities in France, Spain, and Germany, accelerating its sustainability targets. This partnership also consolidates EDP's position as a leader in decentralized solar energy in Europe and strengthens its ability to respond to multinational clients looking for this type of solution in different markets.
EDP will implement decentralized solar energy projects on the ground and rooftops of the company's factory sites in three European countries under a new agreement signed recently. The partnership involves installing over 9,200 solar panels, with a total capacity of around 5MWp, across facilities in locations such as Étupes (France), Nigrán (Spain), and Artern and Buchholz (Germany). EDP and Snop intend to expand this collaboration, aiming for up to 10MWp of solar energy, with future projects planned in potentially other countries like Italy and Poland.
The installation in Spain is already operational, having been completed just six months after the partnership was signed. This result showcases EDP's experience and capabilities in decentralized solar solutions, emphasizing the benefits of renewable energy through reduced development and construction times for customers.
Snop, a major company with a global presence in the automotive industry, will now consume renewable energy produced locally on its own sites. This will significantly reduce its dependence on the energy grid while ramping up the use of electricity generated through a clean source to power its facilities. This partnership will, on average, cover around 20% of the factories' electricity consumption needs.
Together, these plants will be able to produce 4.6 GWh per year, energy that could be enough to supply more than 1400 homes with renewable electricity. The installations of these projects will help avoid the emission of more than 3,400 tons of CO2 per year, which would be emitted if the same amount of electricity were produced in these countries from non-renewable sources.
Integrating distributed solar panels directly into client facilities offers numerous benefits, including enhanced energy efficiency, reduced operational costs, greater energy independence, and a meaningful contribution to reducing carbon emissions. This approach empowers businesses to optimize energy supply while supporting broader sustainability goals.
About SNOP
In France, where Snop has its headquarters, the companies have already signed an agreement for a first site with a combined capacity of around 0.3 MWp but intend to deploy more solar installations across various locations in the country. EDP has been active in France since 2007 through EDP Renewables and, since then, has built a capacity of close to 800 MW in wind and solar utility-scale projects. In 2024, EDP reinforced its European leadership by installing its first solar decentralized generation projects.
In Germany , EDP has been active since 2022 and has a strong pipeline of over 2 GWp in utility-scale solar projects, with the first scheduled to start operating by 2025. EDP has several decentralized solar projects in development and plans to install solar systems at Snop's facilities in Artern and Buchholz, with potential expansion to other sites across the country.
In Spain, where EDP has already developed approximately 300 MWp of decentralized solar projects, the first Snop installation is already in operation in Nigrán (Pontevedra), with an installed capacity of around 0.9MWp. Additionally, the company plans to expand its solar capacity by deploying more installations at Snop's facilities across the country. Currently in Spain, renewable capacity (wind, solar and hydro) exceeds 2.6 GW.
Decentralized solar energy
The decentralized solar energy production projects will be implemented under the "As-a-Service" model, through which EDP ensures 100% of the investment, maintenance and operation, with the financial benefits of this installation are shared between the two companies.
With this partnership, EDP strengthens its role as a key partner for large multinationals, offering customized solar solutions adapted to the size and characteristics of each factory in different countries. By collaborating with Snop, EDP continues to expand its diversified client portfolio, engaging with businesses across a wide range of sectors. This approach aligns with EDP's strategic vision of enabling the decarbonization of the economy by addressing the energy transition needs of every industry.
"We are proud to be selected by another multinational company to provide clean, safe, and affordable energy an essential step in accelerating the energy transition. This project highlights EDP's expertise in delivering sustainable energy solutions to global companies across diverse markets. With over 2.9GWp of contracted capacity in 15 countries, EDP remains committed to supporting the shift to renewable energy, reinforcing Europe's leadership in sustainability," said Vera Pinto Pereira, Executive Board Member of EDP.
"We are happy to be working on our carbon strategy with EDP, a crucial step for Snop to achieve our targets on carbon neutrality. Collaborating with EDP is an essential part of this journey, and we are actively exploring opportunities to expand this partnership to additional countries. This marks just the beginning of productive collaboration as we continue to strengthen our cooperation", said Jan Selbach, Senior Director Purchasing of Snop.
Distributed solar energy is one of EDP's key growth areas for this decade. The company aims to invest 2.5 billion euros by 2026 to install an additional 4GWp of solar projects in homes and companies, thus increasing renewable energy production and expanding access to clean energy for more people.
