Engie Green, has been operating a vertical agrivoltaic system demonstrator for the past two years on the site of the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAE) in Laqueuille, Puy-de-Dôme department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the center of France as solar fence for cow farming.
The choice of this vertical solar fence technology was made because of its production profile, with the solar power plant producing over an extended period from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. due to the vertical deployment of the panels.
The first results of the vertical agrivoltaic system have shown that by 2024, the energy produced by the 100 kW pilot, called Camélia, had exceeded the production of a ground-based plant of the same power by 30%.
In addition Engie also unveiled agronomic data showing that the plant has entered its second year of agronomic monitoring and its first year of solar energy production.
Initial observations show that the presence of solar panels modifies the microclimate of the meadow. Over several months, the researchers measured a halving of wind speed without any major change in wind direction. Over the course of a day, the solar installations temporarily modify the light and thermal conditions on either side of the panels. "However, since all the microclimatic data has not yet been analyzed, we will have to wait another cycle to draw relevant conclusions," the company explained.
