Ombrea, innovative agrivoltaic solutions for your farms

Mettons la transition énergétique au service du monde agricole et des territoires grâce à l'agrivoltaïsme, en France, avec une production d’électricité solaire adaptée aux réalités du terrain.

Optimize your farming operations with our agrivoltaic solutions

Faced with new environmental, economic and social challenges, the world of agriculture must evolve to enable :

  • Maintaining farms in rural areas and passing them on to the next generation
  • Protecting crops and animal welfare in the face of climatic hazards (hail, frost, drought, etc.).
  • L’amorce d’une transition énergétique sur les exploitations pour limiter leur empreinte carbone et venir leur apporter de nouvelles sources de revenus grâce à une production d’énergie photovoltaïque.

En tant que Centre d’Expertise Internationale en Agri-énergies de TotalEnergies, Ombrea porte la vision agricole de la Compagnie. Depuis 2016, nous sommes un acteur expert de l’agrivoltaïsme et c’est pour répondre à ces différents défis que nous portons des solutions d’avenir, développées main dans la main avec les agriculteurs et les territoires. Notre vision de l’agrivoltaïsme est et restera ainsi toujours la même : mettre en synergie production agricole et production d’énergie renouvelable. En contribuant à la protection des cultures et du bien-être animal, c’est l’exploitation agricole dans son ensemble que nous venons aider et accompagner face à ses transitions, avec des installations agrivoltaïques adaptées à chaque projet.

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What is agrivoltaics?

L’agrivoltaïsme est une pratique associant agriculture et photovoltaïque dans le but d’allier, dans une synergie optimale, production d’énergie solaire et production agricole. Face aux différents enjeux auxquels le monde agricole est confronté, l’agrivoltaïsme se présente comme une opportunité pour le secteur. En effet, les installations agrivoltaïques présentent non seulement des avantages agronomiques mais aussi une protection face aux aléas climatiques et un impact positif sur la biodiversité de la parcelle. Ces installations photovoltaïques permettent aussi de produire de l’électricité tout en maintenant la vocation agricole des terres.

Agronomic and climatic benefits
- Improving the agronomic potential and impact of crops
- Adaptation to climate change
- Protection against extreme climatic hazards (late frosts, heat waves, drought, hail, etc.)
- Improving animal welfare
Benefits for the soil and biodiversity
- Maintaining pollinator populations
- Reducing the risk of soil erosion
- Maintaining beneficial insects
Societal and regional benefits
- Developing projects with local players
- Contributing to local issues

Our agrivoltaic solutions

Your agrivoltaic project from A to Z with Ombrea

Du lancement du projet à la mise en service post-chantier, le développement d’un projet agrivoltaïque dure de 4 à 6 ans et se compose de 3 temps bien distincts.

Dans un premier temps, la définition du projet et la qualification permettent de valider la solution adaptée à vos besoins, à votre exploitation et de vérifier sa faisabilité. Ensuite, la contractualisation et le développement concrétisent le projet et ont pour but de le faire valider par les territoires et autorités compétentes. Enfin, après la finalisation du chantier, nous exploitons la centrale en visant une synergie optimale entre protection des cultures et production d’énergie renouvelable.

Project definition
Contractualization
Development
Shipyard
Operating

Discover our White Paper "Best practices for launching an agrivoltaic project".

Our pilot sites & results in agrivoltaics

Arboriculture site, Apt (84)

- Apt is Ombrea's first project in arboriculture and agrivoltaics.
- Agronomic objectives of protecting fruit and trees against thermal, hydric and oxidative stress, and limiting irrigation requirements.

"I expect the Ombrea solution to help me improve the quality of produce under shade and save water by limiting irrigation."
Claude Sollier, farmer

Arable site, Channay (21)

- Inaugurated in October 2021, the Channay demonstrator was built for experimental purposes on field crops (winter wheat, alfalfa, camelina, etc.).

- Results 2023: 26% increase in BTH yield in shaded areas, +17.8% in lentil yield.


"Thanks to photovoltaic panels, crops are better protected with more shade and less wind".
Jean-Philippe Delacre, farmer

Arable site, Valpuiseaux

- Valpuiseaux is a field crop demonstrator (moha, wheat, barley, alfalfa).

- Results 2022 : 6.6% yield increase for winter wheat compared with the control zone, +18% yield increase for moha.


"This demonstrator is proof that by federating all the players in the ecosystem we are able to create positive externalities in line with our mission."
Thierry Blandinières, Invivo General Manager

Interested in agrivoltaics? To discuss your project with our teams, contact us!

Our answers to your questions

I want to equip my plot with an agrivoltaic solution. How do I know if it's right for me?

Are you thinking about going into agrivoltaics, but don't yet know if your plot of land is suitable, or who to contact to get started? Don't worry, our teams are here to answer your questions and guide you through the process! You can get in touch with us in just one click via the "Contact" tab on our website. You'll also find a tool on the "Contact" tab that lets you indicate the plot of land you'd like to equip with our agrivoltaic solutions. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.

As agrivoltaics is a rapidly expanding field, the range of possibilities is still being discovered. However, at Ombrea, thanks to the pilot sites and experiments we've been running for 8 years now, and the 50 crop varieties we've studied in-house, we're in a position to address and provide concrete agronomic services to sites in livestock farming, field crops, viticulture, arboriculture and market gardening.

On average, the development of an agrivoltaic project takes between 4 and 6 years. The launch of the project corresponds to its definition and qualification. This allows us to validate the solution adapted to the specific needs of each farm, as well as its feasibility. At Ombrea, we use our digital tools to simulate variations in key indicators in order to assess the potential effects. Once the work is completed, the agrivoltaic installations can be operated for 25 to 30 years.

The development of an agrivoltaic project is a long process, punctuated by different stages: development, construction, operation and dismantling. Ombrea and TotalEnergies have the expertise to accompany you through all these stages. Throughout this process, our focus is on improving agricultural production, ensuring consistency with your expectations for your farm, and achieving optimum synergy between energy production and agricultural production.

News on agrivoltaics

Invivo Ag, FCA Fertilisants et Ombrea lancent le programme SARA
Ce programme traduit notre vision d’un agrivoltaïsme plus résilient fondé sur la preuve scientifique...
Réduire le stress hydrique des cultures : solutions innovantes pour les agriculteurs
Face aux changements climatiques, la gestion de l’eau est devenue un enjeu central pour l’agriculture....