Vovolt, an intrapreneurship project for responsible agrivoltaics.
Darwin program: supporting innovation at Avril
Launched in 2019 to involve employees in Avril’s innovation and growth dynamic, the Darwin program supports intrapreneurs who dare to imagine and build the future.
The latest edition of this intrapreneurship program highlighted VoVolt, an ambitious project spearheaded by Pierre Jacquet, CSR Manager at Avril, perfectly in line with the Group’s strategic objectives and current societal challenges. At a time when it is essential to diversify farmers’ sources of income to ensure the sustainability of their operations, and when climate change is disrupting our food and energy systems, agrivoltaics is positioning itself as a solution for the future, provided it is rigorously managed.
What is agrivoltaics?
Agrivoltaics consists in combining agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same surface, a “two-storey crop”. This system offers numerous benefits: it preserves agricultural production while providing additional advantages, such as greater resilience in the face of climatic hazards. What’s more, farmers receive rent for the entire period of operation of the solar installations, providing them with an additional source of income.
VoVolt: Avril's commitment to responsible agrivoltaics
With VoVolt, Avril affirms its commitment to supporting this new opportunity for the agricultural world. Thanks to its unique ecosystem, its historic links with farmers, and a business model deeply rooted in food and energy issues, Avril is ideally positioned to support this initiative. For 40 years, our group has been striving to meet the challenges of agricultural, food and environmental transitions. Today, we are mobilizing our talents and expertise to develop solutions tailored to the needs of farmers and offer them customized support.
How does VoVolt work?
Vovolt’s teams work with farmers to explore the possibilities offered by agrivoltaics on their farms. Working with recognized photovoltaic experts, they develop and propose robust scenarios, adapted to the needs of each farm, from the initial study to project implementation.
With VoVolt, Avril is opening a new chapter in renewable energy production, as part of a responsible, forward-looking approach.
