The county council continues to invest to bring the Thémis solar power plant to life as a major center of tourist interest in Cerdagne.
Permanent exhibitions, playful workshops, breathtaking views, the site of Thémis remains a nugget of heritage in the Pyrénées-Orientales. A nugget that the Cerdan sun has been shining for more than 40 years now. The departmental council (for 240,000 euros), in partnership with the Region (160,000 euros), continues to support this institution which receives nearly 10,000 visitors a year. “The site includes a multi-technology platform for development and research on solar energy, as well as a building which is intended to receive training and events on the theme of solar energy. It is also a site for scientific tourism and environmental education”explains Martine Rolland, Vice-President of the Department and President of the Environment and Renewable Energies Commission.
Three free exhibitions are offered.
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The ideal place to make young and old aware of renewable energies. “In the Department, we have this desire to develop scientific tourism to diversify the tourist offer. Thémis allows us to have this type of alternative”. Three free exhibitions are offered on site and address in turn the life of Thémis, understanding energy, the history of solar energy in the Pyrénées-Orientales or even the myths and realities related to the sun. Workshops and other activities on the history of the site and the projects in progress, as well as playful models also allow you to know more than one department about Themis and its surroundings.
Solar energy holds no secrets for visitors.
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As a reminder, the plant was inaugurated in 1983 by EDF. Employing 48 people, it quickly became an international reference in terms of converting solar energy into electricity. Encouraging beginnings quickly showered by technical problems and excessively high maintenance costs. EDF shut down the plant in 1986. From 1987 to 2004, the infrastructures of the Thémis plant benefited research in astrophysics because the night observation conditions on the site were optimal. Finally in 2004, a sign of the times, the site returned to its sources to promote solar energy. A great initiative that deserves to be better known.
Many workshops are offered for a better understanding.
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