News
/ 15 May 2020
On April 1, 2020, CRE selected the following seven innovative projects managed by AREC in the Occitanie region:
- Four projects in the Pyrénées-Orientales department,
- one in the Aude department,
- one in the Gard department,
- and one in the Hérault department.
These agricultural projects focus on vegetable farming, viticulture and arboriculture. This project cluster has a peak production capacity of more than 12 MW and represents an investment of almost €16 million.
These projects share a common objective: the development of the dynamic agrivoltaics sector, thus promoting the adaptation of agriculture to climate change. They are the initial results of the agreement signed between AREC and Sun’Agri on 10 October at our first pilot site in Tresserre in the Pyrénées-Orientales department (which has already been in operation since 2018).
In particular, this agreement aims to identify and financially support suitable agrivoltaic demonstration sites in the region, and to facilitate the development of new projects by drawing up a charter of good conduct for the emerging agrivoltaics sector.
Dynamic agrivoltaics (AVD) is a tool at the service of farmers
Financed by the electricity the generate, agrivoltaic systems are free of charge for farmers. This ground-breaking technology consists of a system of agricultural louvres equipped with mobile solar panels that are placed at a sufficient height above the plants to allow for proper ventilation and the passage of agricultural machinery. What makes this system unique is that the panels are always positioned to serve the plant: controlled by algorithms tailored to its needs, its growth pattern and the weather conditions, they tilt to provide sunlight or shade, as required. The technology is particularly well suited to areas and perennial crops that are most affected by climate change.
This digital solution is based on different models for enabling the growth of each plant:
- Agronomic models that describe the photosynthetic assimilation of plants under fluctuating shade;
- Water behaviour models that describe the path from root water to evapotranspiration under fluctuating shade and model the rainfall runoff onto the panels and into the soil;
- Weather forecasting and field sensors for temperature/sunshine/hygrometry forecasts;
- An optimisation model for the positioning of the panels that calculates their optimal trajectory over the course of the hour and the day.
See below for a list of our projects:
| Location | Type of crop | Capacity (MWp) |
| LEUCATE, Aude | Sustainable viticulture | 0.851 |
| BEAUVOISIN, Gard | Organic viticulture | 1.99 |
| FLORENSAC, Hérault | Organic viticulture | 3 |
| THUIR, Pyrénées-Orientales | Organic vegetable farming | 0.575 |
| CLAIRA, Pyrénées-Orientales | 1.92 | |
| SALSES, Pyrénées-Orientales | Organic viticulture | 3 |
| LLUPIA, Pyrénées-Orientales | Organic arboriculture | 1.84 |
AREC, an agency of the Occitanie region, develops local energy transition solutions
The Agency strives to offer adapted solutions, either turnkey or specific, in line with the needs of stakeholders in the Occitanie region.
It is committed to neutrality and takes an objective view of the solutions. AREC acts in the service of the public interest and is a trusted third party for local and regional actors. Its added value is based on the unique support it provides throughout the entire energy transition value chain, from the initial stages through to the implementation and financing of projects.
To realise these DAV projects, AREC created the Société Agrivoltaïque d’Occitanie in partnership with Sun’Agri. These experimental projects will allow the Sun’Agri model to be validated and adjusted in order to support its dissemination once it is mature.
