France is preparing to definitively adopt on Tuesday a new law on renewable energies that enshrines for the first time agrivoltaics.
A solar alternative?
The idea of agrivoltaics came from the fact that plants use only a small fraction of the sun’s radiation. According to Christian Dupraz, by using less than 2% of the agricultural surface in France to produce electricity thanks to agrivoltaics, it would be possible to produce as much electricity as the current French nuclear park. This would replace agrofuels and be more efficient.
The debate on agrivoltaic installations
The Renewable Energy Act prohibits ground-mounted photovoltaic panels on agricultural land, except for very long-term wastelands. It only authorizes agrivoltaics, which is considered a tool for agricultural production to protect it against climate change. According to Christian Dupraz, agrivoltaic power plants are hardly noticeable in the landscape, so there is no reason to restrict them to areas defined by mayors.
What is the agricultural benefit of these facilities?
According to Christian Dupraz, agrivoltaic power plants can reduce crop evapotranspiration by up to 30% by using photovoltaic panels that act as frost protection. In addition, the panels can also be used to grow fruit trees or vegetable crops, without interfering with commercial or rational production.
Modern innovations such as movable or controllable panels allow for a better exploitation of the agrivoltaic power plants. Some panels can also act as hedges to protect local wildlife, while other filtering models can use a specific light spectrum, using less space for crops that need a more humid or warmer environment.
In France, several hundred agrivoltaic power plants have already been built or are under construction, with many more planned for 2021. This innovative technology offers an ecological solution for crop production while producing solar energy.
