In the same way as the world has quickly fallen into step with the new technologies, there is every indication that the next wave will be the development of the network of new sources of energy.
This network for the production and distribution of the energy of the future in connection with renewable energy has been named Electranet. Solarneo’s ambition is precisely to develop the smart clean energy models of the Electranet network.
This is based on decentralised production using smaller units – “energy farms”.
It is a new logic for production, and one in which buildings, barns and other structures are able to produce energy autonomously, using the sun’s rays. It makes sense. Solarneo’s photovoltaic modules mean that every square metre of a building is now capable of becoming a source of energy without being diverted away from its main function, and without affecting productivity.
Relocating energy production
Solarneo’s ambition is to take an active part in the development of renewable energy in France’s energy mix. The model for the development of renewable energy is not the same as the conventional hyper-centralised model including nuclear or hydrocarbon-fuelled power plants. The future of renewable energy will not involve a multiplication of gigantic solar farms. Energy is undergoing a revolution similar to the revolution in the IT sector, which is moving away from the original mainframe architecture towards a more nebulous organisation, equivalent to the Internet revolution. Renewable energy must be incorporated in the energy mix, and this means relocating energy, with smaller units installed as close as possible to the place where the power is to be used. The photovoltaic greenhouse falls within the logic of the smart electrical networks of the future such as the Electranet (see Close-up).
Relocating agriculture and boosting the local economy
Realising that objectives in terms of photovoltaic production supposing large areas with the correct exposure could be detrimental to cultivated land, Solarneo has taken its exploration in another direction. The photovoltaic greenhouse has the two-fold advantage of combining energy and agricultural productivity. The Solarneo greenhouse makes it possible to increase agricultural yields while at the same time producing photovoltaic energy. With this production of energy covering the financing of the infrastructure, a market gardener or horticulturalist has free use of a top-performance tool to which it is, and will be, increasingly difficult to have access. In this way the Solarneo greenhouse is contributing to the maintenance and development of local agriculture.
Serving the agricultural sector
Right from the outset, Solarneo has been concerned with optimising the agronomic performance of its greenhouses. With this in mind, Solarneo financed its first two greenhouses using its own funds, so that it would be able to carry out all the technical and agronomic studies and offer its market-gardener and horticulturalist partners a totally reliable product.
• Committee of experts
Starting in 2007, Solarneo obtained the support of a committee of experts in agronomics who are specialists in different types of market-garden produce (asparagus, leafy vegetables, strawberries, tomatoes, etc). Since then, Solarneo has continued to carry out a number of advanced agronomic studies in order to provide its partners with scientific data.
• A network of partners
As soon as they sign up with us, our producer partners have the benefit of the support of this network of experts, who accompany them in the agronomic and economic aspects of setting up their projects. A dedicated intranet also allows partners to exchange technical and agronomic information about the greenhouse and pool their experience in a forum. This constant workflow enables us to continue improving the different greenhouse models.
• Agronomic monitoring
The committee of experts provides agronomic monitoring for volunteer partners which makes it possible to refine the agronomic data and constitute a database according to the various geographical locations and types of production.