French solar energy producer TSE and Alliance BFC, the union of the agricultural cooperatives Bourgogne du Sud, Dijon Céréales and Terre Comtoise, have signed an innovative partnership to develop agrivoltaic projects of 3 to 10 MW in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté administrative region. The aim is also to participate in trials held on the two TSE pilot sites in the départements of Haute-Saône (under construction) and Côte d’Or (under development).
TSE has developed a tool to fight against increasingly extreme weather: an agrivoltaic shading system equipped with rotating solar panels installed on cables at a height of 5m above farmland. With its very minimal footprint (with 27m between two support posts, the footprint of the posts and stay cables is 0.5%), the system is compatible with most farming machinery and practices.
With 10 pilot sites of 6ha each currently under development, TSE has set up the largest agrivoltaic demonstration programme in France, on sites spread across the country.
Agrivoltaic shading systems serving Alliance BFC members
TSE has joined forces with Alliance BFC to develop agrivoltaic projects of 3 to 10 MW. The projects will be spread over the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region on different types of farms (field crops, livestock or others) which are members of Alliance cooperatives.
The trials will be conducted over a period of 9 years with the R&D teams of both TSE and Alliance BFC on two field crop farms, one in Haute-Saône and the other in Côte d’Or on an organic crop. The Purpan agronomic engineering school will also participate in the scientific programme on all of TSE’s pilot sites.
“We share a common vision of tomorrow’s agriculture with Alliance BFC, with innovation as a key dimension, and we want to meet the challenges of the energy and farming transitions together”, said Mathieu Debonnet, President of TSE.
Located in the heart of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, Alliance BFC draws its strength from the complementarity and diversity of the collectives, crops and farmlands that it brings together. The union works daily with its 12,000 members to prepare for the future of regional farming.
“Agrivoltaics, as well as plant methanisation within the framework of collective projects, are part of the range of solutions that we are developing to diversify and protect the future of farms, by securing the income of our farmers while contributing to the energy transition”, added Christophe Richardot, Director of Alliance BFC.
About ALLIANCE BFC
The Alliance BFC union joins the 3 major agricultural and agrifood cooperatives in the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region: Bourgogne du Sud, Dijon Céréales and Terre Comtoise. The union brings together some 12,000 farmers and 1600 collaborators, with a turnover of approximately €900 million.
The complementary and varied activities of the collectives range from grain business (collection and supply), to processing (milling, extrusion of oilseed and protein crops, animal nutrition) and vegetable crops, as well as distribution to professionals (green spaces, vineyards, agricultural machinery) or to the general public (Gamm vert garden centres, bakery networks) and logistics.
Resolutely forward-looking, very active in agronomic research and development, Alliance BFC uses its resources to adapt regional agriculture to major issues such as climate change with the development of green energy (methanisation, agrivoltaics). The Alliance is positioning itself to respond to societal demand for local, high-quality food in a protected environment with a CSR approach and a new brand, “Nous Autrement”, launched in January 2022.
Back