This text is taken from the Courrier de la Planète of July 12, 2022. To subscribe, click here.
The world’s population is growing: it therefore eats more and more. The demand for renewable energy is also growing year on year. To meet these two needs, it would be possible to kill two birds with one stone: produce our food in the shade of solar panels.
This is at least what the followers of “agrivoltaic” promise, a neologism designating the practice of combined agriculture, on the same plot of land, with the production of photovoltaic energy.
For about five years, these agricultural technologies have generated a lot of enthusiasm. In some climates, broccoli, jalapeño peppers and cherry tomatoes grow just as well, if not better, under solar panels than in full sun, according to a growing body of study.
In arid environments, photovoltaic panels, perched a few meters above the ground, provide shade for plants. This protects vegetation and soil from excessive evaporation.
The panels certainly reduce sunlight, which can affect photosynthesis. However, in some environments it is rather a relief for the plants, which otherwise can suffer from too much light or heat.
For farmers, electricity generation generates a tempting profit. According to a recently published Korean study, solar panels lead to 10 times higher profits than broccoli for a given area.
Agrivoltaic also has advantages for the production of solar energy. Cultivated soil is cooler than the gravel of solar parks. However, a lower temperature allows photovoltaic panels to convert the sun’s energy more efficiently into electricity.
Protect the grapes
Agrivoltaic is not a completely new practice. In Japan, for example, this technology has been used for at least twenty years, notes Jean-François Lerat, an engineer-researcher at the Interdisciplinary Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT) at the University of Sherbrooke.
“We’re not talking just a few experimental facilities, but acres and acres of solar panels combined with growing rice and ginger,” he says.
In Europe, agrivoltaic is slowly making its way among winegrowers. The installation of photovoltaic panels above the vines protects the grapes from the sun and the heat, which is becoming increasingly intense with climate change.
Some agrivoltaic systems make it possible to control the layout of the panels thanks to robotization. This makes possible a very precise control of the microclimate where the plant grows, and therefore to optimize its development.
The Quebec company Boralex, which works in the field of renewable energies, is interested in agrivoltaic. In 2021, it signed a partnership with the French company Sun’Agri, a specialist in technology, in order to develop this niche in Europe. The latter already has many facilities with winegrowers.
And in Quebec, what is agrivoltaic worth? The low price of electricity from Hydro-Québec reduces the financial attractiveness of solar energy production. Moreover, the heat is not (yet) too harmful for most crops. However, Mr. Lerat believes that, if adapted intelligently, this technology holds promise for growers in the province.
“Farmers are under increasing pressure. This can be a source of additional income. But the interest is above all the synergy that it can create with the cultures,” says the man who seeks to clarify the potential of agrivoltaic in Quebec thanks to his work.