FR2963720A1 - Agricultural and photovoltaic-based electricity production device for e.g. market gardening and producing electricity simultaneously, has downpipes running parallel to posts without hindering crops, and supplying rain water to water reserve - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has an inclined sunshade collecting rain water, and gutters implanted in a lower part of the sunshade, where the gutters supply the collected rain water to a water collection system. Downpipes run parallel to support posts without hindering crops, and supply the rain water to a vegetated water reserve. A pressurized system supplies the water from the water reserve to an automatic crop irrigation system and an automatic fire safety system upon selective smoke detection. Partially transparent photovoltaic panels are fixed on the sunshade.

Description

DESCRIPTION The structure of the agricultural economy, which makes its future uncertain, leads all of its partners involved in the rural economy to consider a new approach to French agriculture in the context of public policy guidelines: namely to ensure quality production for increasingly demanding consumers, healthy eating, environmentally friendly production, protection of biodiversity and preservation of water resources.

These various points have been the subject of various measures taken by the government through the 2020 land target. It should also be noted that the rural world must imperatively optimize the use of agricultural land in order to make multifunctional land provision to farmers. With this in mind, it was necessary to work on this issue by focusing on potentially patentable technical innovations in order to make agricultural activity fully compatible with energy production. Technical innovations in this area have always been led by people whose agricultural activity is considered incidental to energy production whereas the concept is presented below puts agriculture at the heart of green growth.

Taking into account the economic, ecological and environmental functions of agricultural activity and in order to preserve peri-urban and even rural areas, it was necessary to push the reflection on the reconciliation of agricultural activity and the production of electricity of origin. Photovoltaics on the ground without artificializing or compromising the original agricultural destination of the plot.

Photovoltaic energy production systems currently exist on industrial buildings with often very small roof areas. There is also another system that meets the requirement to preserve biodiversity as part of the efforts of beekeepers following recent observations of massive losses of bee colonies.

The state of the prior art is the concept of the solar breeze, which can be considered useful for the intelligence of the invention and for the establishment of the research report. Societal expectations regarding the consumption of quality agricultural products, labeled or labeled from an ecologically intensive agriculture as well as the urgency to produce green electricity, of photovoltaic origin are topical. In this sense, the Grenelle de l'environnement encourages companies to innovate to take into account these societal expectations. So far installed ground power plants can be of the shade type allowing pastoral activity for small animals. The use of the agricultural parcel is then reduced, at best, to that of a natural pasture, random and of course not mastered nor appropriately valued because of the fact that the land is 1 2963720 -2-,

disproportionate interests in energy production to the detriment of the agricultural activity of origin. The parcel equipped with photovoltaic panels is artificialized; the panels being placed at most 1.2 m from the ground make an optimized farm operation impossible. The object of the present invention is to work agricultural plots under reduced sunlight favorable to the development of crops that do not require a significant water intake while allowing to maintain agricultural production of good yield and good quality. This is an optimized agricultural production structure. To date, given the state of the art, this invention is susceptible of industrial application. The object of the present invention is to remedy this practice which consists in implanting only photovoltaic plants on agricultural land by not allowing farmers to diversify their sources of income from their main agricultural activity by associating them with a farm. photovoltaic energy production activity. So far, the photovoltaic sector is also interested in buildings for agricultural use. This innovation will make it possible to make the fixed charge of the land less expensive and to make zero in the surface area of photovoltaic power plant projects on agricultural land. This objective is achieved with this system comprising: On a surface, the cultivation of aromatic plants, medicinal plants and market garden products; as well as certain crops of short-stemmed seedlings, with a maximum height of 1 m. And on the same surface, a plurality of elements that make it possible to produce electricity of photovoltaic origin in good environmental, health and human safety conditions while maintaining a level of agricultural productivity similar to that of a culture method commonly practiced. Partially transparent panels are fixed in portrait on a metal structure in the form of inclined tables and implanted parallel to each other along the entire length of the parcel facing south, between 2 and 5 m above the ground allowing recovery of rainwater (4) whose flow is assured without breaking over the entire length of the panels on the rampant. Gutters are fixed in their lower parts. The rainwater flumes along the support legs 35 of the structure and feed, by natural slope, the water supply via the buried pipes (3). From this water supply, a pressurized circuit feeds automatic crop irrigation and fire safety systems on selective smoke detection; the water spraying system acts at variable intensity (flow and pressure of 2963720 - 3

Feeding system depending on whether watering crops under and between the panels or fire safety intervention (2). The control of water spraying is done by moisture detection and safety by smoke detectors installed under the panels. This detection being neutralized with delay during the momentary passage of agricultural machinery. Any prolonged stop of the cultivation machinery leads to the shutdown of the engines (safety on the machine). The cultivations are made using agricultural machines of high efficiency 10 energetic and efficient, equipped with reconnaissance system you type GPS, programmed to limit the evolution in a strictly delimited area preventing any risk of collision and damage fixed installations. The exhaust gases reduced to their minimum will be oriented horizontally to avoid any risk of fire. The cultivation will be carried out in strips up to 8.90m wide. The type of crop is determined by the nature of the soil and the luminosity found under the installation. The use of chemical pesticides will be prohibited in favor of mechanical and thermal weeding. The intervention chain will be as complete as possible from sorting and packaging the seeds, growing the plans to the most elaborate final processing (sorting, drying, grinding, distillation for the essential oil and in situ conditioning. ). Electrical connections between cables under buried ducts. All this allows the agricultural machinery to be used to exploit the fund. The traffic lanes have a minimum width of 5.5 m to allow the passage of agricultural machinery, emergency vehicles, as well as maintenance vehicles. These roads are preferably outside the photovoltaic field to increase the useful agricultural area. They also allow the passage of electrical networks and water networks, to limit the trenches passing under the cultivated area. The invention is a system adapted to culturing with rational and efficient management of rainwater recovered and redistributed without additional water supply by irrigation; while ensuring an optimized implementation of photovoltaic panels on the same plot.

The Grenelle Environment Forum and the growing artificialisation of agricultural land have required innovation leading to the disclosure of this potentially patentable agricultural system.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description. In the accompanying drawings given by way of non-limiting example: - Figure 1 shows the device of the invention the culture can be done in strips on the full surface of the plot. - Figure 2 The fire detector and the water sprayer are located under the panels. Figure 3 shows the network of rainwater recovered is buried and progressive section. Figure 4 shows the descent of water from the gutters to the buried recovery network. FIG. 5 specifies the relative positions of the photovoltaic panel tables with each other. - Figure 6 illustrates the water retention system which is connected to the buried water recovery network.

The system that reconciles the production of renewable energy with agricultural activity on the same space according to the invention comprises, with reference to FIG. 1, a production zone, a photovoltaic panel installation creating a shaded zone that promotes the growth of aromatic plants. and medicinal and other well-defined cultures.

As part of our concept, photovoltaic plants are located on agricultural or horticultural lands, on landfill sites or on brownfields. The principle of innovation is based on the pillars of sustainable development, namely the economy, the environment and society. The different parts of the system will be explained in the following paragraphs. The figure below illustrates the innovation developed by explaining how to make possible the association of agricultural activity and the activity of clean energy production, through the means used for the valorization of the culture and the studies carried out on photovoltaic installations to define the type of crop that is appropriate for each plot.

It is not a question of removing arable land of good agronomic value from agriculture, but rather of making economically viable plots immobilized as old fallow land, quarries and well-exposed sand pits but practically impossible to work or not being able to use. for animals and not constituting real economic viability.

The concept integrates the development and enhancement of agricultural and / or horticultural activity, proposing innovative projects and developing sustainable partnerships with professional agricultural organizations in order to put agriculture at the heart of green growth.

The invention is a system which is characterized by the following types of culture: - aromatic and medicinal plants (PAM) - plants for seed seeds - market gardening; for example: asparagus on sandy and alluvial soil fillings of sand pits and valleys. - Short-stemmed plants (1 meter maximum) The choice of the crop on the plot will depend on the agronomic potential of the soil, the brightness under the photovoltaic panels, the period of maturity of the plants and weather conditions. - Management of the culture: It consists of optimizing the space dedicated to the agricultural activity, by taking into account the sunshine of the ground after studies on the trajectory of the sun. > The efficient management of rainwater, with: - The development of a rainwater recovery system - The transport of this water to reserves dedicated to water retention (The most natural possible. fed up or vegetated basins for example) - The redistribution under pressure of this water for the irrigation of the culture and the fire safety. Water management will allow us to use natural, limestone-free water for our farm and we will avoid pumping into groundwater for crop irrigation. - Use of agricultural machinery incorporating new technologies to: 30 - Meet the different constraints of agriculture - Improve productivity - Make farming profitable - Secure the photovoltaic system In our system, in addition to visual assistance, the machines used must: 35 - Avoid different incidents with photovoltaic installations - Have automatic guidance, whatever the model of the vehicle

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- Control the opening and closing of sections of the spray ramps - Control the guidance of the towed tool in all visibility conditions - Facilitate the work whatever the configuration of the terrain - Get the best precision (Source of economy) - Save time and reduce inputs - save fuel for less pollution To meet all these requirements, use a system, high precision, agricultural guidance bar with GPS technology. > Installation of a sophisticated system for fire detection, simultaneously detecting smoke, flames and heat. The fire detection system will be autonomous and fully automated. In case of detection of a start of fire, a message is sent to a fire safety system that transmits an alert call to the local fire service. The device dedicated to increasing the flow and the pressure of the crop sprinkling water is triggered to mitigate the flames, waiting for the arrival of help.20

Claims (2)

CLAIMS1) The device for optimized agricultural production comprising: On a given surface a structure that makes compatible and associated agriculture and energy production characterized in that it comprises an inclined sun breeze that recovers rainwater passing then in the water recovery circuit which is initiated by gutters located in the lower part of the solar breeze. The waterways run along the support posts without disturbing the crops and supply the reservoir of vegetated retention water. 2) This structure according to claim 1 characterized in that, from this water supply, a pressurized circuit supplied by automatic irrigation systems crops (2) and fire safety on selective smoke detection (2) ; the water spraying system acts at variable intensity (flow and pressure of the feed circuit) depending on whether the crops are irrigated under and between the panels or when fire safety is involved. 20