This summer, the European AgroSOL project focused on raising public awareness of useful and sustainable agrivoltaics in rural areas of South-West Europe through educational activities designed to encourage citizen participation.
As part of this initiative, an open day was held on 4 July 2026 in Haut-Mauco (France). Around fifteen people had the opportunity to visit the agrivoltaic demonstration site at the Farm of the Future, an experimental site that is part of the network of pilot sites established under the Interreg Sudoe project.
Organised by GLHD, Agrolandes and the PATAV farmers’ collective, which initiated the Terr’Arbouts agrivoltaic project, the visit allowed participants to discover, under real-life conditions, how an agricultural plot equipped with an agrivoltaic system operates.
Nearly half of the participants were immediate neighbours of the agrivoltaic pilot site, keen to gain a better understanding of this activity taking place nearby. The visit provided an opportunity to see first-hand how agrivoltaics can combine two uses within the same area: renewable energy production and more climate-resilient agricultural production.
The GLHD team and PATAV farmers shared their experience in developing an agrivoltaic project in France, the initial lessons learned from the three agricultural production seasons carried out at the pilot site, as well as the agronomic and energy benefits of this innovative solution. The discussions also provided an opportunity to answer the visitors’ many questions.
The open day therefore fostered an open dialogue between the agrivoltaic project developer, local farmers and citizens affected by the Terr’Arbouts project. This type of dynamic is essential for developing projects that are genuinely adapted to the needs and specific characteristics of each territory.
The local acceptance of the demonstration site was also reflected in the results of a questionnaire conducted among participants: 100% of the neighbours surveyed now state that they support the agrivoltaic pilot site.
Among the main benefits spontaneously highlighted were the possibility of producing energy without giving up agricultural activity, the efficient use of land and the consistency of the project with the agricultural character of the area. Participants also expressed their interest in continuing to take part in future activities organised around the pilot installation.
The Farm of the Future is one of the five pilot projects selected under AgroSOL, a project co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg Sudoe 2021–2027 programme. Its aim is to promote a sustainable, resilient agrivoltaic model adapted to small and medium-sized farms in the SUDOE area.
Through these demonstration sites, the project is assessing innovative solutions that can advance the energy transition without compromising agricultural production, while encouraging the involvement of farmers, public authorities and citizens.
These types of events highlight the role of pilot projects as spaces for learning, exchange and demonstration. They help build trust, share knowledge and improve understanding of the potential of agrivoltaics as a response to the energy and agricultural challenges facing rural areas.
This issue is all the more important following a summer marked by episodes of extreme heat, drought and wildfires, which highlight the growing vulnerability of European territories to climate change.
In this context, agrivoltaics can also help strengthen the resilience of farms and provide an additional adaptation tool for agricultural systems increasingly exposed to climate-related stresses. This is precisely one of AgroSOL’s objectives: to test, measure and share the conditions under which these solutions can sustainably meet the needs of farmers and rural territories.
« Project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg Sudoe 2021–2027 programme »
