L R AS Published on Tuesday 1 March 2022 - n° 395 - Categories:agrovoltaic
Valeco conducts scientific research into the presence of sheep at a solar power plant
According to Ademe, by 2030, more than 100,000 farms could be significantly involved in solar energy production. In order to scientifically document this practice, VALECO is launching,
in partnership with the Pôle ovin de Charolles, a constituent centre of the EPLEFPA de Fontaines Sud Bourgogne, and the Saône et Loire Chamber of Agriculture, an experiment on the qualitative and quantitative effects of a ground-mounted photovoltaic installation on sheep farming.
The experiment is taking place on permanent grassland farmed by the Charolles agricultural college, divided into three zones: one where the rows of solar panels are spaced 2.5 metres apart, a second where they are spaced 4 metres apart and a control area with no panels. Data will be collected simultaneously in all three zones. Monitoring will be carried out over a period of at least 3 years, from January 2022 to December 2024. The solar panels were installed in the summer of 2021 and are due to be dismantled in 2025. Carried out over a full year, the measurements of floral diversity, grass height and density, and nutritional values, aimed to quantify and qualify the forage resource, will be linked to weather data (sunshine, rainfall).
The partnership with VALECO aims to measure the agronomic and zootechnical impact of the presence of photovoltaic panels on agricultural plots. The aim is to be able to assess the effects of photovoltaic installations on a sheep farm: measure grass growth, its palatability and nutrient intake, and observe the behaviour of the animals.
Tecsol 22 February 2022
