“It’s almost the death of the village”: when elected officials and residents fear an agrivoltaic “black tide”

A village, an agrivoltaic project, a controversy. The rule of three is respected in Ladevèze-ville, where a farmer wants to rent 33 ha to a green electricity giant, to the great dismay of the municipality and an association.
Three years since the project has been on the table of Patrice Bonnet, a 62-year-old farmer. “70 cm of paperwork,” sighs our man, who offered a concession on 33.6 ha of his land to Reden, a company specializing in solar parks. He was joined by a breeder. Fully aware of the opposition from part of the village of 214 inhabitants, the farmer does not budge: the project does not have the scale that we want to give it.

High profitability

“The opponents make it appear that the fields will be covered with panels, this is not the case. We are talking about 30% of the rented area. » Patrice Bonnet affirms, he consulted all the neighbors, which led to a reduction in the number of photovoltaic panels. “We took into account what they told us, so that it did not disturb the view of local residents. Reden will install hedges to hide the panels from the eyes of those closest to them. »

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And he supports it, the project is agricultural as well as energy. In winter, sheep and cows will graze there in fine weather. “Nothing changes for the farmers who have already placed their animals there since 2015, except that it will be fenced and supplied with water, work carried out by Reden. » A comfort for the breeders, who pay nothing, and who recover nearly €10,000 per year for the maintenance of the site. Not to mention the rent paid to the owner of the land.

The solar park will be located on the hillside, on the southern slope below the town hall. Where the mayor, Sylvie Theye, denounces a distorted presentation of the case. “The building permit application, posted, announces 33.6 ha. Perhaps the surface mentioned by Mr. Bonnet corresponds to the surface of the panels alone, but the gap between the panels is small. »

However, placed in this location, the park will be visible from all sides, with or without a hedge, believes the mayor. “It’s in the center of the village, right in the middle of the panorama. » The municipal council opposes this project, but Sylvie Theye recognizes her powerlessness in the face of the prefecture’s verdict.

Oil spill

Patrice Bonnet, for his part, is surprised to see such an outcry: in his eyes, agricultural work does not change. “It’s above all a question of jealousy,” analyzes Patrice Bonnet. It’s the financial windfall I’m going to benefit from that bothers them, more than the consequences for the landscape. There aren’t even 5 houses that have a direct view of the site, and there will be hedges. »

The sheep, Sylvie Theye claims to have only seen them for 3 weeks in May. She lets the DDT and the Chamber of Agriculture judge the validity of the agricultural project, but regrets that the land could not be sold to young farmers. “For me, it’s almost the death of the village. I am not against photovoltaics, but elsewhere. It’s going to become a real oil spill! »

“We had tourist projects”

“We are lucky to have a village that is active, that is pleasant…” The mayor, Sylvie Theye, does not hide her total opposition to the 33.6 ha photovoltaic park project. “I am not fighting for individual residents, but for the village. To reach the village, you will have to pass this park. Visitors will only see that. We had tourist plans. »

The municipality was working to promote local heritage, an important point in the program of the elected list in 2020. “Of course, there is not much left of the castle, but there is something to be done with the church of la Madeleine, from which the Saint-Mont vineyard took the name for one of its best wines. »

Ladevèze-Ville offered all the roofs, those of individual houses as well as municipal buildings, to accommodate photovoltaic panels. “And without forgetting the car parks,” adds Sylvie Theye, “but we don’t have the necessary source station for photovoltaics! »