The National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) is conducting two agrivoltaics analysis tasks in photo voltaic parks operated by BayWa re and Valorem in a number of areas of France. Despite the completely different weather conditions, related optimistic traits had been noticed with a drop in temperature and a rise in soil humidity underneath the photo voltaic panels, in addition to a greater high quality of forage making it extra digestible for animals.
From pv journal in France
The National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) has revealed new outcomes on grass progress and forage manufacturing underneath photo voltaic panels as a part of two analysis tasks carried out by BayWa re and Valorem. They intend to combine the R&D database arrange by the National Research Center in agrivoltaics launched in 2023.
The researchers carried out photo voltaic park research in three completely different pedoclimatic areas: the South-West Mediterranean and Burgundy for the 2 BayWa re parks. and the park of La Tour Blanche within the Dordogne for Valorem. Meteorological sensors are positioned in numerous areas of the photo voltaic parks and the grass progress is measured and analyzed by two agricultural engineers from INRAE
In 2023, the outcomes obtained in the summertime of two Baywa re energy vegetation present a 3 to 4 C drop within the temperature of the soil underneath the panels, a rise of as much as 11% within the humidity of soil underneath the panels and improved forage high quality underneath the panels. For its half, on the La Tour Blanche web site, the impact of panel shading in three zones (underneath the panels, between the rows and intermediate areas) allows Valorem to current a common efficiency that’s extra of 30% of dry matter manufacturing in shaded areas. all year long, making a microclimate conducive to biomass manufacturing, particularly through the hottest months. In summer time, the typical soil temperature within the intermediate zone is 4.8 C decrease than the management zone, and the soil humidity is larger.
In truth, regardless of the completely different sunshine situations, the identical traits had been noticed: decrease temperatures and better soil moisture ranges underneath the photo voltaic panels. The microclimatic situations are thus extra favorable to meals progress, particularly in summer time. As for yields, even when they fall barely in late spring, they’re balanced by larger yields in summer time, because of the shade between the rows of photo voltaic panels. Finally, the analyzes present that the standard of the forage improves underneath the panels: it’s richer in nitrogen and minerals, and subsequently extra digestible for livestock, particularly in summer time.
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“This is a successful mixture for farmers, who can graze their livestock for an extended interval, particularly in summer time, when forages have higher progress dynamics and better high quality of diet than within the management zone,” stated Mathilde Gaulier, an agrivoltaics analysis engineer at INRAE, which has a collaboration settlement with Valorem. “Continuous agronomic monitoring over a number of manufacturing cycles can also be essential to verify these outcomes,” he added.
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