News
/ 17 September 2024
Sun’Agri, with financial support from the European Commission, launches the Carbon Farm project.
This project, a true innovation hub in sustainable agriculture, combines crop protection and renewable energy production through one solution: dynamic agrivoltaics.
The Carbon Farm aims to address the challenges of climate change while providing farmers with high-performance tools for resilient and sustainable agriculture.
This ambitious project, co-financed with €4.2 million from the European Commission through its Innovation Fund (CINEA: European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency), is one of the 18 European Cleantech winners in 2024, selected as part of the European economy’s decarbonization effort.
Project objectives:
- To become a pioneering innovation hub in sustainable agriculture.
- To deploy agrivoltaics at the farm scale, ensuring climate change adaptation and decarbonization of production.
- To promote a community project aimed at localizing agriculture and electricity production, from generation to consumption.
The Carbon Farm project is based on the installation of a dynamic agrivoltaic system covering 6 hectares, integrating three types of Mediterranean crops (vineyards, fruit trees, and vegetables). This innovative, patented system operates on two levels: one dedicated to agricultural production and the other to green electricity generation through bifacial photovoltaic panels.
In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the project enhances the economic performance of farms through better resource management and optimization of inputs via smart technologies and AI-based models.
This innovation- and community-focused project fully aligns with the goals of the European Green Deal and aims to make agriculture a key player in the energy transition.
The Carbon Farm in numbers:
- 6 hectares equipped with state-of-the-art dynamic agrivoltaic technology
- 3 Mediterranean crops: vineyards, fruit trees, and vegetables
- €4.2 million in funding granted by the European Commission
- 100% targeted reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)
Key milestones:
- 2024-2025: Project launch and acquisition of administrative permits
- 2026: Design, replanting, renovation, and construction work
- From 2028: Operation of the farm and publication of results
Project leader for Carbon Farm:
Sophie Bellacicco has over 15 years of experience in the agriculture and agri-food sectors. She is currently the Innovation R&D Coordinator at Sun’Agri in Montpellier, where she plays a key role in managing innovation projects, particularly through national and European public funding. A PhD in biochemistry and microbiology, she also has expertise in innovation funding strategy, project management, and innovation taxation.
Stakeholders:
“Co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”
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