In 2008, in conjunction with a consultant specialising in agronomics, we initiated the first study on agricultural performance carried out inside a photovoltaic greenhouse for a crop of tomatoes. The aim of this comparative study was to assess the growth and the production of the plants according to their position in a greenhouse fitted with a row of photovoltaic panels on the southern part of the roof. No significant difference was observed between the batches located below the photovoltaic panels and the other batches across all the criteria assessed (distance between bunches, flowering, fruiting). Other crops (spinach, green beans and lettuces) have been tested successfully at the site. These initial positive results will be supplemented in 2010 and 2011 by a number of research programmes set up with different market-garden concerns.
Solarneo’s greenhouses are deliberately designed to meet a number of very specific constraints. A photovoltaic greenhouse is not just a greenhouse with a few solar panels tacked on.
The models we offer our partners have been tested and measured extensively since 2007, and they offer the guarantees necessary for maximum agricultural and photovoltaic productivity. The technical specifications for the Solarneo greenhouse go far beyond the constraints of French norms for a conventional greenhouse.
In search of agricultural performance
Solarneo does not sell its product to farmes. Rather, it installs greenhouses under a very long-term (30 years) win/win partnership with the agricultural partner. It is in everyone’s interests that the agronomic performance levels of Solarneo greenhouses should be optimal, and that is why we have created a committee of agronomics experts and users, to provide us with a product that is evolutive and constantly at the leading edge in its field.
The Solarneo greenhouse has not been designed solely with photovoltaic production in mind; it can also be fitted with agricultural tools (opening sections, nets, different types of door) so that each producer is able to adapt his tool to his type of crop. For example, Solarneo undertakes to replace and recycle the plastic sheeting used for its greenhouses every four years.
An oversized structure
The norms for Solarneo’s photovoltaic greenhouses are closer to standards used for buildings rather than greenhouse standards. To be insurable and hence able to be financed, they necessarily meet very strict constraints in terms of structural strength and anchoring to the ground.
Upstream of the deployment process, the Research & Development team devises solutions that are turned into prototypes that are tested and optimised. For each project that is deployed, specific studies such as studies of the ground and anchoring are systematically carried out in order to meet local constraints.
An industrially prefabricated construction – modular and easy to set up
Solarneo’s aim is to be able to meet extremely strong demand within ever-shorter lead times. This is why we have set up a factory-built prefabricated structure with assembly time cut to a minimum. For example, it takes four weeks to set up Solarneo greenhouses covering one hectare. This is made possible by optimising even the smallest details of the assembly procedures.
A very strict value analysis process has been applied to:
- the design of the greenhouse in order to limit the number of operations and parts;
- assembly processes, which has resulted in the production of multimedia instructions and the development of specific tools.
Photovoltaic integration that goes further than the statutory constraints
The two plastic and glass greenhouses have a system for incorporating latest generation roof panels approved by the CSTB French construction supervision agency. These systems have been subjected to multiple tests at the pilot site in Cahors to check their strength under actual operating conditions. These irreplaceable and implacable tests enabled us to detect a number of constraints (such as the impact of phytosanitary products on the energy-producing modules) and to apply appropriate solutions upstream.
A strict maintenance policy
Each greenhouse is designed to last for several decades, and Solarneo provides total maintenance for the structural, electrical and photovoltaic elements. The Cahors site has a supervision centre that uses tools such as NeoReport to tele-monitor all the installations and to detect any anomalies, whether they are malfunctions in connection with the production of energy or a hostile intrusion, and to react appropriately as quickly as possible. The longest waiting time is a maximum of four hours (for an intervention on-site in connection with an energy malfunction).
Solarneo’s organisation in south-western France has a control centre that enables it to supervise and monitor all the production installations. Using our NeoReport software, we ensure that sites are secure, monitor photovoltaic production, and detect any malfunctions or intrusions.