A total of 47,000 photovoltaic solar panels have been floated on the surface of a lake in Vaucluse in southern France.

The project (according to TheLocalFr)is the brainchild of the local mayor, Louis Driey, who was wondering what to do with the 50-hectare artificial lake, which is a flooded former quarry.

The plant, at Piolenc, is the first floating plant in France and the most powerful in Europe.