The Anonymous Widower

French Farmers Are Covering Crops With Solar Panels To Produce Food And Energy At The Same Time

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on euronews.green.

These paragraphs explain the technique.

Agrivoltaics – the practice of using land for both solar energy and agriculture – is on the rise across France.

In the Haute-Saône region, in the northeastern part of the country, an experiment is being conducted by solar-energy company TSE. It is hoping to find out whether solar energy can be generated without hindering large-scale cereal crops.

Previous attempts to experiment with agrivoltaics have been through smaller-scale projects. But, keen to see if it can thrive on an industrial level, 5,500 solar panels are being spread over this farm in the commune town of Amance by TSE.

The article also contains a picture, which shows panels high in the air and a tractor going underneath.

I’m not sure of the idea’s practical application, although, I do know of a farmer, who is experimenting with using solar panels in a field with sheep. He also has found that on another field fully fitted with solar panels, hares were thriving.

In Understanding Floatovoltaics, I talked about another French idea; floating solar panels, where solar panels are floated on calm water like a reservoir.

Talking of reservoirs, I remember seeing a Tomorrow’s World, as a child, where it was proposed that concrete reservoirs, like those under the Heathrow flightpath, be filled with foamed concrete and covered with soil, so they could be used to grow crops.

• The water capacity would be slightly smaller.
• There would be less water losses.

I wonder what happened to that idea.

October 19, 2022 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, Food | Agrivoltaics, Farming, Floatovoltaics, France, Solar Power