L R AS Published on Sunday 5 April 2020 - n° 316 - Categories:agrovoltaic, French companies
Result of agrivoltaism on the vine
The French agricultural PV specialist Sun'Agri presented the results of the tests he carried out. He has installed solar panels above vineyards in the Vaucluse.
The panels were placed at a height of 4.2m. They could
be moved by an artificial intelligence algorithm. This has the ability to determine the inclination of the panels according to the sun and water requirements of the vineyard, the growth pattern of the crop, the soil quality and the weather conditions.
During the heat waves, the vines shaded by solar panels continued to grow and needed less water. Water demand was also reduced by 12-34% for the PV shaded vines due to reduced evapotranspiration. The aroma of the grapes was improved thanks to the panels, with 13% more red pigments (anthocyanins) and 9-14% more acidity.
PV Magazine of 31 March
Editor's note This is not the first time that we have seen an improvement in crops when they are sheltered by panels. Several studies have been published on the results in the United States, hence the creation on the site ofa sub-category called "agrovoltaic" withinthe category "photovoltaic".
