Agrivoltaic sites for livestock and arable farming

As part of its CSR approach, REDEN is committed to developing projects with high added value for local communities. Therefore, we were the first photovoltaic energy producer to carry out studies lasting several months on cattle rearing grazing on agrivoltaic sites in operation:

• 2020: pregnant cows cohabiting with one of our fixed photovoltaic installations
• 2022-2023: Full herd of cows, calves and bull on a power plant equipped with trackers (a tracker is used to control the positioning of the solar panels at the best possible angle to the sun’s rays, thereby optimising energy production)

Fully monitored by the French Lot-et-Garonne Chamber of Agriculture, these studies have validated the service provided to the farm in terms of both animal welfare and the quality of fodder production.

In 2022 and 2023, REDEN also carried out promising trials of field crops (soya and sorghum) between rows of tracker-equipped panels. Among other things, harvesting was made easier by controlling the panels. In addition, the rotating shade provided by the photovoltaic panels reduces water stress for both the plants and the soil during hot weather.

Up to 95% of the land is used for the agricultural project.

Thanks to these experiments, we have been able to optimise our agrivoltaic solutions to bring a genuine solution to farmland depreciation, animal welfare, as well as landowners and farmers.

Indeed, only fallow or long-term grassland with low agronomic potential are eligible for this type of agrivoltaic projects, the aim being to preserve the agricultural character of the land while producing responsible solar energy.