2023-07-09 09:49:07
Among the plausible solutions that can temper the harmful effects of scorching temperatures on agricultural activity is agrivoltaism. This is a concept that is beginning to flourish in several countries. It consists of bringing together the production of photovoltaic electricity and agricultural activity, whether it is the breeding of animals or the cultivation of plants.
In these times of extreme temperatures, vigilance is required. When the mercury panics, no one is spared: man, fauna and flora are all threatened by dehydration. The risks of forest fires, loss of livestock and drying out of plants are increasing. Even the most resilient trees, such as the olive tree, experience real water stress that can lead to their death. Heat waves can therefore be an ecological, agricultural and health disaster if they persist for a long time.
This is why, when the hot weather hits, farmers must pay attention to their farms and take care of the grain first, to prevent the outbreak of fires on their farms but also to ensure the well-being farm animals that do not tolerate heat well. The bad news is that these heat waves are becoming more and more recurrent, of course, under the effect of climate change.
And we have to learn to live with this new reality, since the world has clearly failed to contain global warming, at least that is what the various climate reports point out which confirm that the fight once morest climate change is not on the right track.
Among the plausible solutions that can temper the harmful effects of tempera
heat waves on agricultural activity, figure agrivoltaism. It is a concept that is beginning to flourish in several countries, such as China, India, the United States, Canada and other European countries. It consists of bringing together the production of photovoltaic electricity and agricultural activity, whether animal breeding or plant cultivation.
Indeed, there are several agrivoltaic techniques, but the most widespread consists of covering agricultural production with tilting and removable photovoltaic panels. Several studies have been carried out to determine the benefits of agrivoltaism. The results show that the shade produced by the photovoltaic installation reduces thermal and water stress and therefore protects crops once morest extreme temperatures.
It has also been demonstrated that this technique reduces evapotranspiration, especially for lettuces whose water requirements can drop by 30 to 40%. In some countries, experiments have shown that fodder produced under panels is richer in protein. The problem is that the panels are high enough to allow agricultural machinery to pass through, but also perfectly tiltable and removable so as to manage the penetration of light according to the needs of the crops.
In some countries, the sector is in the process of being structured, given the convincing results of the pilot experiments that have been carried out in this area. In China, the installation of an agrivoltaic power plant with a capacity of 2.2 gigawatts in the Qinghai Gonghe region over an area of 609 km2 reduced wind speed by 40% and ambient temperature by 0, 5% and increase humidity by 2%, which has helped improve plant growth, restore biodiversity and prevent desertification.
In a nutshell, this new concept is a real ally for farmers in the face of climate change. In India, the government has identified the regions where the technique can be applied and has implemented a battery of measures in favor of this sector to encourage farmers to embark on agrivoltaic projects, such as tax relief, the establishment of dedicated lines of credit… Having all the advantages in this field, Tunisia can develop this sector. Pilot projects can be conducted to identify the most suitable regions, crops and techniques that can lead to effective results. However, farmers may be less receptive to the idea: the agricultural sector suffers from a plethora of structural problems that accumulate from year to year and the costs of installations can be prohibitive. But agrivoltaism is part of the solution, because it will allow the farmer to be self-sufficient in energy while improving the yield of his crops in a context of water stress.
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