French renewable energy company Qair’s agrivoltaic project in France has secured a corporate solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with local yeast producer Lesaffre. The latter aims to source around 34 GWh annually to meet its decarbonization goals. 

Solar power generated by this plant will power Lesaffre’s site Biospringer in Maisons Alfort, near Paris. The 18-year direct purchase agreement will enable the French producer to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity supply. 

It follows the company’s 1st CPPA in 2023 to supply green energy to its largest yeast plant in Marcq-en-Baroeul. 

Qair is developing the project in the Hauts-de-France region with construction scheduled to begin in 2025. Once it is online in 2026, the company expects it to generate 68 GWh green electricity annually into the French power grid. 

It has already signed pre-contracts with farmers, tailoring the project to adapt to their needs including enabling sheep farming under solar panels.  

Calling agrivoltaics a strong lever in response to the challenges of land availability, agricultural decline, loss of biodiversity and artificialization of farmland, Qair says it enables a symbiosis between agricultural economic activity and PV installations. 

“Through agrivoltaics, Qair aims to support farmers, protect their land, and secure their production,” said Qair Group CEO Louis Blanchard. “This is why we engage in co-financing with farmers and local partners to provide comprehensive support to encourage ecological and solidarity transition through renewable energies.” 

European Commission believes agrivoltaics can help the European Union achieve 944 GW DC installed solar PV capacity using just 1% of farmland, pointing to the huge potential of this technology in the bloc (see Agrivoltaics Can Help Exceed Targets Under EU Solar Strategy).