TSE launches crowdfunding for the agricultural canopy in Souleuvre-en-Bocage
TSE, an independent French solar energy producer and a pioneer in agrivoltaics in France, announces the opening on November 20, 2023 of a crowdfunding campaign, via Lendosphere, dedicated to the establishment of an agricultural canopy in the town of Souleuvre-en-Bocage, in Calvados. In the amount of 800,000 euros, the collection will be open to residents of the department of establishment, Calvados, and neighboring departments: Eure, Manche, Orne and Seine-Maritime
Investment terms (interest rate, term, etc.) are presented on: www.lendosphere.com/souleuvre
Financing an unprecedented full-scale agrivoltaics experiment
This paid loan fund raising allows those who wish to do so to support the installation of an agricultural canopy on a farm with a fodder production activity for feeding dairy cows, located in the town of Souleuvre-en-Bocage in Calvados. For lenders, this is an opportunity to decarbonize their portfolio by contributing to the agricultural and energy transition of the region. To finance this project, they must first register on the Lendosphere website: www.lendosphere.com
The agricultural canopy was designed by TSE to help farmers fight against climatic hazards thanks to rotating solar panels located high up and generating rotating shade on the plot. It protects crops and improves animal welfare while producing green energy, thus promoting sustainable agriculture and the preservation of water resources.
For Matthieu Debonnet, President of TSE “For several years, agriculture has been facing extreme climate events. At TSE, we not only produce green and local energy to fight against global warming, but each of our projects must have a positive impact on the community, its inhabitants and the agricultural world. We are happy to open this participatory financing to residents, allowing them to contribute to the development of our agrivoltaic innovation, which responds to the urgency of energy and food sovereignty as well as to climate challenges, while benefiting from its financial benefits.”.
About the project
In recent years, the farm has particularly suffered from heat and water stress, with high temperatures and long periods without water that have impacted the quality of pastures, grass growth, and the comfort and milk productivity of the herd. As a result, the farmer no longer grazes his 130 dairy cows and must leave them in the building. With the help of the agricultural canopy, the return of dairy cows to the pasture is now possible. With an estimated power of 2.9 MWp, the agricultural canopy will consist of 5,192 photovoltaic modules installed on an area of 3.4 hectares. The infrastructure should produce 3676 MWh annually, i.e. the electricity consumption of 1,676 people, and will avoid the emission of 137 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. As a pilot project, the agricultural canopy is integrated into a vast agricultural R&D program. The experimental monitoring will be carried out in partnership with the Livestock Institute (Idele), the farmer, the Purpan Agricultural School and INRAE. Its commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.
