Sunti prepares to build the first dynamic agrivoltaic project on Gard vineyards

The "La Croix de Fer" agrivoltaic project, located in the commune of Vestric-et-Candiac (Gard) and developed by Sunti since 2022, is the winner of the 6th call for tenders issued by the Commission de Régulation de l'Énergie (CRE) Bâtiment. The project will benefit from a 20-year feed-in tariff for the electricity produced.

This first wine-growing agrivoltaic power plant in the Gard region, operated at 100% under organic farming conditions, will be built and operated by Sunti. This is the first plant to come out of the partnership between Sunti and Sun'Agri. It intelligently combines wine production with the production of low-carbon electricity, and is based on Sun'Agri's patented dynamic agrivoltaic vine protection technology.

Faced with the effects of climate change, the Gard vineyards have been severely affected in recent years by late frosts and increasingly violent heatwaves, resulting in heavy crop losses. Jean-Fred and Silvan Coste, winegrowers for 5 generations and pioneers of organic wine in France, sought effective solutions to protect their vines from the excesses of the climate. They chose Sunti to equip their plot with the dynamic agrivoltaic system designed by Sun'Agri, which protects their crops.

The dynamic agrivoltaic system proposed by Sunti is an agricultural tool with numerous advantages for viticulture. A genuine instrument of agro-climatic regulation, it protects vines from hydric, radiative and thermal stress, by combining a primary agricultural practice with a new secondary renewable energy production activity. Thanks to in situ instrumentation, the mobile panels are intelligently controlled in real time according to the needs of the vines, in order to preserve, promote and protect them thanks to Sun'Agri technology.

"We're very proud of this 1st agrivoltaic reference in the Gard region, which will help a farmer to weather the coming storms. All farmers need to know that there are agrivoltaic solutions to help them cope. We regularly carry out territorial diagnostics for winegrowing cooperatives and independent winegrowers. Bastien Clément - Sunti Development Director

This La Croix de Fer project is part of the renewal of old vines that have passed their optimum production stage. With a capacity of 3.8 MWp, the project is installed on 5 ha of vines that will be sheltered by dynamic agrivoltaic shades, and 0.5 ha that will not be sheltered and will constitute the control zone. The vines (Grenache) will be cultivated at 100% using organic methods, and the harvest will be vinified at the Cave des Vignobles de la Voie d'Héraclès, a pioneer and leader in organic wine in France. An annual production of 450 hl is expected from the agrivoltaic system, plus 45 hl from the control zone. With commissioning scheduled for the 1st half of 2025, the 6,544 solar panels of the agrivoltaic plant will generate 5 GWh of green electricity per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 2,325 inhabitants.

Supported by the commune of Vestric-et-Candiac and the Communauté de Communes Rhôny Vistre Vidourle, Sunti wants to involve local residents in this success story. To this end, all local residents will be able to take part in a participatory financing campaign to be launched before the agrivoltaic park is commissioned.