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The shade of solar panels, an asset for maintaining water in farming
Faced with the scarcity of water resources in France, its optimization is becoming crucial to maintain a farming productive, especially in the context of climate change.
> To read : Water and agriculture: understanding the issue in 6 key points.
TSE, a leading player in the agrivoltaics sector, has set up several agrivoltaïcs demonstrators in the country. These installations aim to precisely measure the benefits of the shade created by solar panels about crops.
The first data collected reveals promising results: a drop in temperature under agrivoltaic installations and a decrease in water stress suffered by plants.
These findings reinforce the idea that agrivoltaic systems provide a concrete response to the problem of drought, by helping to better manage water in agricultural systems, while maintaining productivity.
Experimental sites to study the impact of agrivoltaics on crops
In order to adapt agriculture sustainably to new climatic conditions, TSE is deploying a program agrivoltaic experiments on several pilot sites. Three of them, located in Amance, Brouchy and Verdonnet, are dedicated to field crops. A fourth, at Souleuvre en Bocage, focuses on fodder crops.
On these plots, structures Photovoltaics Mobiles are installed at a height of five meters. Thanks to a system of solar trackers, they generate partial and rotating shade that covers about 42% of the cultivated area. This configuration makes it possible to modulate sun exposure according to the needs of the plants and the climatic conditions.
The first data collected on these demonstrators already offer initial lessons.
> Learn more about TSE experiment program, solar energy producer.
Water deficit: a key indicator for adapting agriculture to the climate
To better understand the effect ofagrivoltaic shading on crops, TSE teams combine field observations and prospective modeling. This dual approach makes it possible to accurately assess whether the shading corresponds to water needs of plants.
The central indicator of this analysis is the water deficit, a key marker of the stress that a crop undergoes when faced with the availability of water in the soil. This deficit is calculated by taking into account several factors: rainfall, irrigation,evapoperspiration actual as well as the useful reserve - that is, the soil's capacity to store water.
> To read : Reducing crop water stress through agrivoltaics.
A significant reduction in water stress observed at pilot sites
The first results from TSE's experiments are promising. The shading generated by photovoltaic panels Rotators exert a protective role on crops by reducing their exposure to high heat. Under the agricultural canopy, the temperature is cooler and the evapotranspiration of plants is reduced.
At the Amance pilot site, these conditions made it possible to reduce by 57% the periods of water deficit observed during soybean cultivation in 2022. Similar trends were confirmed in 2023 and 2024, at TSE's other experimental sites in Brouchy and Verdonnet.
A more moderate temperature under agricultural solar panels
The data collected at TSE's experimental sites highlight a significant regulatory effect of agrivoltaics on air temperature. As soon as temperatures exceed 20°C, a significant thermal gap appears between areas shaded by solar panels and the control plots that remained uncovered.
This phenomenon is particularly important at 25°C, the threshold at which the majority of crops begin to undergo a heat stress. Reducing the temperature above 25°C protects them.
” During the hot days of summer 2023, we observed a decrease in maximum temperatures under the canopy of around 4°C during the filling phase. Heat stress leads to losses in yield and productivity ” Rodéric Longu, field crop agronomy research & development project manager at TSE. At this key stage of the vegetative cycle, overheating can cause significant yield losses.
Another interesting observation: while the maximum temperatures are attenuated during the day, the decreases are also less pronounced at night.
Cooler and wetter soil thanks to agrivoltaics
For their studies, TSE, solar energy producer, engineers deploy capacitive and tensiometric probes at various depths (30 to 60 cm) in the soils of pilot sites. Capacitive probes measure both temperature and soil moisture, while tensiometric probes assess the pressure exerted by roots to extract water from the soil.
The first years of experimentation, between 2022 and 2024, highlighted a significant difference between the sample area and the one covered by photovoltaic panels.
Measurements carried out by TSE show that soil temperatures under the agricultural canopy remain lower at a depth of 30 cm during the spring and summer periods. In addition, soil moisture is maintained at a higher level, promoting better water availability for the roots. ” An average difference of 2°C in soil temperature is observed between the two plots. Shading therefore keeps the soil cooler and more humid. ”, underlines Rodéric Longu.
As part of its ongoing research, TSE integrates irrigation systems directly to the canopies. This device, combined with dynamic shading, could reduce water consumption by 20 to 30%, while simplifying the work of farmers.
> To read : Brouchy innovates with agrivoltaics and smart irrigation.
> Do you have an agrivoltaics project ? Contact TSE, a French producer of renewable energy.
