Install solar panels on farmland? "Yes", but not just any old way, say the FNSEA union, the chambers of agriculture and the operator EDF Renouvelables in a charter signed on Tuesday.
"Development, yes, but framed" to reconcile energy production, preservation of land and agricultural activity, summarized the president of the FNSEA Christiane Lambert, on the occasion of the signing of this charter of good practices.
For "any photovoltaic electricity production project envisaged on agricultural land", the document recommends "upstream of any preliminary study" the establishment of a monitoring committee at the local level between operator, chamber of agriculture and agricultural unions.
The departmental commission for the preservation of natural, agricultural and forestry spaces (CDPENAF), which brings together the State, communities, agricultural and forestry professions, etc., will have to issue an opinion.
The charter advocates "the total reversibility of the installation, with the use of anchors without concrete or the operator's commitment to remove them at the end of operation", as well as the rehabilitation of the land.
"We have seen in a few places developing very large projects, consuming a lot of agricultural land," lamented the president of the Chambers of Agriculture Sébastien Windsor, who insisted that solar panels be installed primarily on the roofs of agricultural buildings.
But preserving land "does not mean blocking all projects" having a hold on the ground, he continued. He cites as examples the technologies allowing to reconcile the production of energy and food, like "agrivoltaism", panels making it possible to protect crops from the sun, from excess water, to serve as a support for anti-pollution nets. - hail or shade hens raised in the open air.
In its multiannual energy program, France plans 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. For this, it is targeting 35 to 44 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic capacities installed in 2028, against 10 GW today. hui.
"Solar in France (...) must be quadrupled in ten years," said Tuesday the CEO of EDF Renouvelables, Bruno Bensasson.
Faced with a land issue, the sector "is looking for 15, 20.000 hectares of agricultural land" among the 30 million hectares currently dedicated to this activity. "It seems possible but if we want to do it in good understanding, we must talk to each other," said Mr. Bensasson.
According to a parliamentary report, the agricultural sector currently accounts for 13% of solar photovoltaic production.
