Is agrivoltaism only “the name of a new green scam”, the pretext of “all the business people wishing to join the various green recovery mechanisms”, as the Confédération paysanne de Gironde wrote in early February, denouncing the emergence of large photovoltaic parks in the Landes and Gironde? No, answer the farmers and breeders carrying the Terr’Arbouts project, near Mont-de-Marsan, in the Landes. Grouped within the Patav association, they are embarking on agricultural and energy co-production, alongside the agrivoltaic project developer Green Lighthouse Development (GLHD). With the primary objective of financing their transition to sustainable agriculture.
“When we were told in 2018 that the quality of the water was clearly impacted by our practices, and that we had to aim for a Zero Phyto objective within fifteen years, we received a heavy blow”, recalls Jean-Michel Lamothe, farmer and president of Patav, during a webinar held on April 19. The installation of panels with a power of 300 MW by 2024, for a total investment of 130 million euros, should thus enable the thirty or so farmers and breeders installed on these 1,200 hectares of agricultural land. to finance the transformation of their plots towards crops that save water and inputs. Like the chia seed, which the collective is experimenting with.
“Energy farmers”
The principle: GLHD, operator of panels, will pay these “energy farmers“an annual allowance over 40 years, shared between all the members of the association, whether their plot is equipped with panels or not.”We do not touch the forest, we do not artificialize anything at all “, warns Jean-Marc Fabius, CEO of GLHD, who is also present on this webinar.
For these Landes farmers forced to adapt their practices to the new ecological and climatic situation, the long-term survival of their farms is at stake. “We have to make our operations sustainable and ensure that one day we can pass them on”, insists François Lesparre, farmer administrator of Patav, resolved to “do what is necessary so that Terr’Arbouts is an agroecological project”. No “alibi” agriculture here, then.
“We lack feedback”
Because it is this issue that poses the development of agrivoltaicism: how to ensure that the project effectively ensures a synergy between agricultural production and energy production? Who should play the role of sentry? “The developers of ground-mounted photovoltaic panels have understood this well: they are easier to install on agricultural land. They come up with very attractive turnkey projects, know how to join the services of very brilliant design offices, find the arguments – such as the usefulness of panels to protect the farm from predators “, defended at the end of March with La Tribune Bertrand Dumas, in charge of prospective economic studies at the regional chamber of agriculture of New Aquitaine.
“But how are working conditions evolving for farmers who have to deal with the presence of panels on their farm? What will be the quality of the plant cover under the panels? And what about, for example, the dust that settles on the panels afterwards? the passage of a harvesting machine? We lack experience feedback to answer these questions, “he pointed out.
“Agrivoltaism has been developing abroad for 14 years, there are some feedbacks”, Jean-Marc Fabius responds to La Tribune in this regard, also emphasizing the prior work of technical feasibility analyzes and commercial outlets, drawn up “with the agricultural design offices and the departmental chambers of agriculture”.
“Significant agricultural activity”
It is precisely to develop recommendations to public authorities that Ademe carried out a study on the state of the art of agrivoltaism, published in May 2020. The national agency describes the energy performance there. of several types of systems installed on agricultural land, their environmental effects, but also the case law already in force. We learn in particular that a “agri-solar farm” planned at Viabon in Eure-et-Loire was definitively buried in July 2019 by the Council of State, failing to maintain “significant agricultural activity“. The latter must in fact represent at least half of the income of the farm which starts agrivoltaism.
It is also for lack of a solid agricultural project that the few neo-Aquitaine candidates for CRE’s “innovative solar” call for tenders, open since 2018 to agrivoltaic projects, were not selected, explained at the end of March. to La Tribune Christelle Laclautre, Dreal environmental inspector: “Installing photovoltaic panels and putting sheep around is not enough!”
Building a frame of reference
It would therefore be a question of building a common frame of reference, consensual, on which project leaders could rely. In any case, this is the ambition of the regional chamber of agriculture of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which is currently developing a dedicated charter, the objective being to sign it very soon. “Our line is quite clear: we are against the installation of solar panels on agricultural soils. But this charter must be shared: we are in the process of discussing it with the players concerned”, explains Annabelle Gallitre, Energie-Bois-Forêt project manager.
Among these actors, the Region has itself launched a call for agri-solar projects, in force until the end of December 2021. The community sees in agrivoltaism the means of reconciling two objectives: to achieve an electricity production capacity. solar power of 9 GW by 2030 (versus 2.3 GW today) and reduce by half the artificialization of natural, agricultural and artificialized forest lands by the same deadline, in accordance with Sraddet. The winning projects (which must respect a minimum power of 100 kWp) will be monitored over a minimum period of three years, in order to “develop technical and economic references” and of “demonstrate the feasibility of implantation” of these systems.
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