Côte-d’Or: the bet of the field which produces cereals and energy

From a distance, one might believe the structure of a vast warehouse under construction. Pillars and a roof which are still awaiting the installation of the facades. When we get closer, we realize that we are indeed in an agricultural culture. In Verdonnet, north of Montbard (Côte-d’Or), three hectares of budding wheat grow under solar panels that rise five meters high.

This is the third installation of this type in France and the first in Côte-d’Or. This concept is that of the TSE company based in the Alpes-Maritimes. “Unlike solar panels which are installed in wastelands and non-cultivable land, here we offer farmers the option of placing them high up and continuing to exploit the soil below. Here we have gaps of 27 meters between each pillar , which allows tractors and combine harvesters to pass without any problems. explains Mickaël Carlot, director of TSE.

Make as much money from electricity production as from cereals

“The cost of this achievement amounts to one million euros per hectare” underlines Christophe Richardot, the general director ofAlliance BFC (a union of 3 cooperatives including Dijon Céréales). Here this “solar canopy” extends over three hectares and the project is perfectly taken care of “We are totally affected by climate change, and it is possible that Dijon Céréales, which currently makes 250 to 300 million euros in turnover with crops, will make the same amount with energy in the next ten years. We could extend this system to around a hundred farms in Côte-d’Or, over an average surface area of ​​15 hectares.”

A “canopy” that protects crops

Alliance BFC repays its investment by reselling the electricity produced to energy suppliers. “We have enough here to supply 1,500 homes, including heating” assures Mickaël Carlot. As for the farmers who provide their plot, there are two advantages for them: they receive a rent of almost 2,000 euros per hectare, and their crops are protected by the panels. “We are testing this system with a wheat plantation” explains Adrien Cortot, 25, one of the four farmers who cultivate this plot. “We see that our young shoots are doing well, and are doing better than those of the control plot which is outdoors next door. Two explanations for this: as the wheat is sometimes found in the shade, it seeks light and grows faster. Moreover, it is 1 to 2°C warmer on the ground under the panels which act like foliage.” The solar roof even helps protect cereals from hail, promises the TSE company.

“We started a trial. Next year we will test another crop underneath, but we already want to extend this solar canopy system over 10 to 15 hectares” predicts Adrien Cortot.

Are we going to see solar panels everywhere?

“We imagine that we will quickly have other candidates among the members of Dijon Céréales” assures Christophe Richardot, “But let’s be reassured, we will not see this system in all fields. We predict that this will only concern 1% of the agricultural areas of the Côte-d’Or.”

In Verdonnet, a town of 60 inhabitants, the installation in the open field encountered no opposition. “If a farmer ever changes his mind, our structure can be completely dismantled” underlines Mickaël Carlot “The blocks which are used to secure the pillars are simply placed on the ground. There are no concrete foundations.”

Dijon Céréales finds it hard to imagine that producers will one day turn back: “With the rental system and crop protection, we guarantee them visibility and security over several years” promises Christophe Richardot.