Agrivoltaism, a protection system for food production

The adaptation of cultivation practices to environmental constraints, particularly meteorological and climatic ones, is an integral part of the history of agriculture. The increase in phenomena due to the effects of climate change have accelerated the development and use of protection and adaptation systems (irrigation solutions, frost protection, anti-hail nets, shade nets, etc.) in recent years. This is the line taken by the dynamic agrivoltaics solution.

A plant's growth process is a complex phenomenon, influenced by a multitude of variables. Depending on its phenological stage, the plant will seek an optimum depending in particular on the amount of light received, the ambient temperature, or its water status. The quality and quantity of fruit harvested will be the result of this process. The aim of dynamic agrivoltaics technology is precisely to influence light and temperature factors to improve agricultural production and sustain it over time. The results are convincing, with yields maintained and the quality of agricultural production improved compared with a control plot cultivated in the same way but without a photovoltaic panel.

The agrivoltaic structure is a combination of two elements: hardware and software. The physical part consists of photovoltaic panels supported by a steel structure. The panels are mobile, rotating around an axis, so as to let in light or shade. The steel structure supports the panels at heights of several meters, and is designed to ensure compatibility with agricultural machinery and the absence of long-term impact on the soil (no use of concrete). The software part, meanwhile, is a simulation and optimization program that orients the photovoltaic panels to control microclimatic conditions in real time.

One of the advantages of this protection system is that it is self-financing through the sale of the electricity generated. Although de-optimized (the plant's photosynthesis needs take priority), the energy is produced in quantities comparable to fixed solar power plants, and at a cost equivalent to large photovoltaic roofs.

From an energy point of view, the emergence of this type of solution is a new factor to be taken into account in photovoltaic development strategies, particularly in a context where EDF, in a charter published with the FNSEA, believes that national objectives require us to go beyond land that has already been artificially developed. The successful development of solar energy requires a number of factors to be taken into account, including its cost to the community, territorial equity and the local acceptability of projects.

Recent debates have highlighted the importance of this last point. Indeed, both Jeunes Agriculteurs and the Confédération...