Are solar panels good for viticulture?

French agricultural PV specialist Sun’Agri has revealed the results of tests run on a solar plant integrated with viticulture. During heat waves, the company said, vines shaded by solar panels continued to grow and needed less water. Early results have been positive from the vineyard in Piolenc. Image: Antoine BOLCATO (RPC) From pv magazine France.

What is energy audit in wineries?

Energy audit in wineries An energy audit is a systematic and standardized procedure that allows to determine inefficienies of plants and buildings, suggesting at the same time technical solutions able to reduce (or even remove) the related issues.

Are wineries energy-intensive?

In Italy, the overall electric energy consumption for the wine production sector is about 500 million kWh/y; consequently, wineries are considered as energy-intensive processes (Gubiani et al., 2019).

Should vines be at the heart of our solar experiments?

From pv magazine France. “Vines are among the crops most affected by the effects of climate change so it is essential that they be at the heart of our experiments,” a spokesperson from the Sun’Agri subsidiary of French solar developer Sun’R, told pv magazine. We’ll drink to that!

Why are agrivoltaic grapes better?

Water demand was also reduced by 12-34% for the PV-sheltered vines thanks to a reduction in evapotranspiration – water evaporating through the soil, said the Sun’Agri spokesperson. It has also been claimed the aromatic profile of the grape was improved in the agrivoltaic set-up, with 13% more anthocyanins – red pigments – and 9-14% more acidity.

Why are PV-sheltered vines able to grow during heatwaves?

The PV structure made it possible for the vines sheltered by panels to avoid having their growth stunted during heatwaves, according to Sun’Agri. Water demand was also reduced by 12-34% for the PV-sheltered vines thanks to a reduction in evapotranspiration – water evaporating through the soil, said the Sun’Agri spokesperson.