HOMEAs part of its development strategy, Euralis is offering new sectors for farmers, including red kiwifruit and renewable energy production via solar-panelled sun shades. Developed in partnership with SCAAP Kiwifruits de France, this agrovoltaics offer is now available to producers looking to embark on an innovative, promising project.
For the first time, Euralis is offering farmers an agrivoltaics project in partnership with SCAAP Kiwifruits de France. “Our aim is to develop and secure a new high value-added market for farmers. In the regions where we operate, agrivoltaics helps to produce both renewable energy and healthy food, in line with the strategic challenges established by the Euralis Board of Directors”, outlined Stéphane Boué, Vice-President of the Euralis cooperative and President of the Agricultural Division. “This new sector is the result of experiments conducted by SOFRUILEG (R&D company of SCAAP Kiwifruits de France) at several production sites over 5 years. We had to be innovative, agile and inventive in order to reconcile the technical constraints of each area of expertise: agronomy, solar energy and .” The objectives of this project have been met: the production conditions of an outdoor orchard were successfully reproduced in a greenhouse thanks to a roof that optimises the passage of sunlight for maximised electricity production.
Agrivoltaics: innovation supporting agricultural production
Red kiwi production under solar-panelled sun shades helps to control the climatic environment and ecosystem of the orchard, secure the agronomic potential of the plant – red kiwis are a fragile fruit that requires protection – and find a new economic balance since the aim is also to produce renewable energy. “The sale of the electricity produced by the sun shades will safeguard the project’s business plan (with electricity prices guaranteed for 20 years)”, outlined Cédric Brana, head of the kiwi sector at Euralis. “Producers who embark on this project will therefore generate a positive cash flow right from the first year. The plants will bear fruit at the end of the fourth year, maximising the profitability of the tool to reach the equivalent of 33,000 euros for 3,000 m², thus preserving 100% of the value generated. The financial and technical aspects of solar energy are calculated by Eurasolis, Euralis’s solar energy sector, launched in early 2022. These solar specialists offer the best technical solutions to farmers wishing to produce solar energy via sun shades and are Enedis’s key point of contact for connection purposes. Meanwhile, PRIMLAND (Sales office of SCAAP Kiwifruits de France) is helping to structure the fruit market.”
Last but not least, another advantage is that red kiwifruit production requires very few input products and little water. To help safeguard their project – which takes on average 18 months to set up – producers benefit from personalised support, from the engineering phase to establishing their orchard.
Embarking on agrivoltaics and the production of red kiwis, a new type of fruit, is a bold choice for producers, and a way to safeguard the long-term strategy of their farms”, Cédric Brana concluded.
Euralis thus invites project managers to get on board with this new, promising market in France, by selling what will become a premium fruit, appreciated by consumers for its sweet and mild taste, similar to mango.
For more information: Cédric Brana – cedric.brana@euralis.com – +33(0)6 84 58 94 11