Soleil Du Midi

What Soleil Du Midi does

Soleil du Midi is an independent French renewable energy project developer founded in 2007 and headquartered in Villemoustaussou (Aude), with engineering offices in Toulouse and a western-France hub in Angers. The company develops, builds, and operates turnkey photovoltaic and wind parks, specializing in small-scale Village Solar Parks (Parcs Solaires Villageois) of approximately one hectare that supply 300–1,000 residents each, alongside larger 17–20 MW wind farms, agrivoltaic installations, and site rehabilitation projects on degraded land (former landfills, quarries, railway corridors). With more than 500 MW of wind and solar projects developed across France in two decades, the company claims to be the leading French operator in village solar parks, with 30+ parks built and approximately 50 in development.

The business model combines direct territorial development with a multi-channel distribution approach: Soleil du Midi identifies land and co-develops projects with rural municipalities, departments, and regions; finances citizen participation through crowdfunding platforms such as Enerfip (with ~287+ shareholders in the first citizen solar park at Luc-sur-Aude); transfers completed parks to cooperatives including Enercoop (Midi-Pyrénées, Languedoc-Roussillon, Tournesols Mayennais) and utilities such as Générale du Solaire, ILEK, GEG, and TotalEnergies; and retains some assets for direct operation. Revenue streams thus span one-time project development fees, asset sale gains, and recurring operations revenue from retained parks.

The customer base spans rural communes, energy cooperatives, regional utilities, agricultural operators, and individual citizen-investors. The company is led by a four-person founding team (Benoît Pradier, Alain Argenson, Cyril Darnis, Bernard Pellat) with multi-decade renewable energy backgrounds, is fully independent with no disclosed institutional investors, and operates with approximately 15 employees anchored in the regions where they work.

Name

Soleil Du Midi

Legal name

Société Soleil du Midi

Website

https://soleildumidi.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Project Development

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Wind Electric Power Generation (221115), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Utility-Scale PV Project Development & Permitting (EUACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Renewable Distributed Generation (Rooftop/Onsite Solar, Small Wind, Small Hydro) (EUACALAJ)

Keywords

• Renewable energy development
• Solar park construction
• Wind farm development
• Citizen energy projects
• Agrivoltaic installations

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Solar Park Development and Operation: Soleil du Midi develops, builds, and operates solar photovoltaic parks. Some parks are sold to partners (such as Générale du Solaire for ~75 MWc) while others remain under company operation or are transferred to cooperatives like Enercoop.
2. Wind Farm Development: Development of wind energy projects in partnership with local authorities and energy cooperatives.
3. Agrivoltaïsme Solutions: Specialized agrivoltaic project development combining agricultural production with solar energy generation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Soleil du Midi is a French independent renewable energy project developer that builds and operates turnkey solar photovoltaic and wind energy parks. The company specializes in small-scale village solar parks (Parcs Solaires Villageois), agrivoltaic installations combining agriculture with solar production, and citizen-owned cooperative energy projects developed with rural municipalities, energy cooperatives, and local authorities across France.

Product overview

Soleil du Midi is a renewable energy project developer offering an integrated portfolio of citizen-focused solar and wind solutions. The core offering centers on Parcs Solaires Villageois (small-scale village solar parks, the company's leading French specialty) alongside larger Parcs Éoliens (wind farms), Parcs Solaires Citoyens (citizen-owned solar), and emerging Agrivoltaïsme (agrivoltaic installations). These products share a common thread: community participation, territorial anchoring, and local energy autonomy. Projects range from 1 MW village parks to 20+ MW wind installations, developed across French regions with partners including Enercoop, ILEK, and Générale du Solaire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parcs Solaires Villageois (Village Solar Parks) Small-scale solar projects of approximately 1 hectare developed for rural villages of 300 to 1,000 residents, with about 2-year implementation cycles. Over 30 parks built and approximately 50 in development across France.
• Parcs Éoliens (Wind Farms) Wind energy projects developed in co-development with local communities or public utilities, with capacities ranging from 17 MW to 20+ MW.
• Parcs Solaires Citoyens (Citizen Solar Parks) Community-owned solar projects allowing local citizens to invest and become shareholders through participatory financing platforms such as Enerfip.
• Agrivoltaïsme (Agrivoltaics) Solar installations combined with agricultural activities including sheep farming, viticulture, arboriculture, market gardening, and other crops. Research initiated in 2019 with ENSEEIHT and ENSAT engineering schools.
• Autoconsommation Collective (Collective Self-Consumption) Solar projects where locally produced electricity is consumed directly by nearby consumers, reducing grid dependency.
• Réhabilitation de Sites (Site Rehabilitation) Development of solar parks on previously degraded or repurposed land including former landfills, quarries, and volcanic terrain, including rehabilitation of France's largest former tire dump at Lachapelle-Auzac and a former technical burial center in Réalmont.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ MW of wind and solar projects developed in 20 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Générale du SolairecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Strategic partnership where Soleil du Midi sold several solar park projects totaling approximately 75 MWc to Générale du Solaire. This partnership strengthens large-scale development dynamics.
• SNCF-RéseaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025First authorization in Sarthe department for village solar park on railway land through partnership with SNCF-Réseau.
• ILEKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ILEK, a green electricity supplier, partnered with Soleil du Midi for the joint development of approximately 20 village solar parks across France. Parks are operated by ILEK.
• ENSEEIHT & ENSAT (Toulouse Engineering Schools)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Academic partnership for agrivoltaïc research. Students studied influence of solar panels on crops (cereals, livestock, market gardening) and helped develop first agrivoltaic village solar park at Puybégon.
• GEG (Gaz Électricité de Grenoble)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 202417 MW wind park development partnership in Aveyron. GEG is a regional energy company.
• Enercoop Midi-PyrénéescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Long-standing partnership for cooperative solar parks including Saint-Quirc (first cooperative solar park in Ariège), Verniolle, and first agrivoltaic park at Puybégon.
• Enercoop Languedoc-RoussilloncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for village solar parks including Belvèze-du-Razès and Caux, operated by Enercoop Languedoc-Roussillon.
• EnercoopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Multiple partnerships with Enercoop cooperatives across France for solar park development.
• SNCF-RéseaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for developing solar parks on former railway land (former LGV land in Mayenne). First parks on railway land in France.
• ALTER EnergiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for three village solar parks in Maine-et-Loire contributing to mobility and energy transition.
• Maine-et-Loire (Charter Signatories)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Signature of Charte départementale pour les ENR à gouvernance locale in Angers, April 2023.
• TotalEnergiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Solar park development on former technical landfill at Réalmont (approximately 4 MWc) for TotalEnergies.
• Maine-et-Loire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic presence consolidation in western France through partnership with the department for renewable energy development.
• CLER (Réseau pour la transition énergétique)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Active member and contributor to CLER, the network for energy transition. Featured in CLER magazine for citizen energy approach.
• EnerplanminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Active member of Enerplan, the solar energy professional association.
• FEE (France Énergie Éolienne)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Active member of FEE, the French wind energy association.
• ECLR (Énergies Citoyennes Locales en Réseau)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Active member of ECLR network for citizen-owned local energy.
• DerbiminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Active member of Derbi, regional energy transition network.
• AMORCEminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Active member of AMORCE, the association for local authorities on waste, energy, and transport.
• Tournesols MayennaiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership for first village solar parks in Mayenne, developed for this cooperative.
• GDS (Green Power Systems)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202210 MWc solar park at Saulgé (Vienne) developed in cooperation with Eco-musée du Montmorillonnais for GDS.
• SOLAGROminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Cooperative of collective interest (SCIC) known in France for agrivoltaic research and sustainable agriculture consulting.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Urbasolar: French solar PV project developer acquired by EDF Renewables, focused on ground-mounted, rooftop, and agrivoltaic projects. Comparable in development methodology, French regional focus, and target off-takers (utilities, cooperatives, municipalities).
• VALEMO: French independent operator and developer of wind and solar assets. Comparable in scale, independent ownership model, and combined wind/solar offering targeting French rural territories and cooperatives.
• Photosol: One of France's largest independent photovoltaic developers, active in ground-mounted, rooftop, and agrivoltaic projects. Directly comparable to Soleil du Midi in business model (project development, transfer to operators/investors) and target market (French rural and decentralized solar).
• Générale du Solaire: French solar project developer and IPP, active in ground-mounted PV, agrivoltaics, and floating solar. A direct partner of Soleil du Midi (75 MWc project transfer) and a directly comparable independent French PV developer.

Broad incumbents

• Voltalia: French-listed renewable energy IPP developing wind, solar, hydro, and storage projects. Comparable end-market in France and combined wind/solar portfolio but operates at significantly greater scale and as a listed company with broader geographic reach.
• EDF Renewables: Subsidiary of EDF group developing onshore wind, solar PV, and offshore wind. Comparable end-market but a vastly larger incumbent with institutional capital, in-house EPC, and grid-scale focus.
• Engie Green: Subsidiary of ENGIE developing wind, solar, and biomethane projects in France. Comparable in technology portfolio (wind + solar) and target market but operates at much greater scale and as part of a broader utility portfolio.
• Boralex: Canadian-listed renewable energy developer with significant French wind and solar operations. Comparable in combined wind/solar development model and independent IPP positioning, though at much greater scale.
• TotalEnergies Renewables (France): Renewable arm of TotalEnergies active in French solar, wind, and agrivoltaic development. Already a partner of Soleil du Midi (Réalmont landfill) and a direct competitor in French PV tendering and agrivoltaic deployment.

Others

• Enercoop: French citizen-owned renewable energy cooperative and electricity supplier. A direct partner/off-taker of Soleil du Midi (Enercoop Midi-Pyrénées, Languedoc-Roussillon) and a key enabler of the citizen energy model, making it an ecosystem peer rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soleil_midi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soleil-du-midi-developpement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Soleil Du Midi