Solar Panels Help French Winemaker Deal with Climate Change
2021-10-12
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1Pierre Escudie has a vineyard in southwest France.
2He has put solar panels over his plants to both produce electricity and protect his fruit.
3Many in the area have seen the damage to their crops from this year's hot and cold weather.
4The solar panels protect the grapes during periods of extreme cold.
5They also protect the grapes from the sun when it is very hot.
6The panels also turn, which permits more light to hit the crops on cloudy days.
7Earth's rising temperatures, the increase of extreme heat, and the increase of dry and cold weather are changing the taste of French wines.
8Warmer temperatures cause the grapes to sweeten earlier, resulting in more sugar.
9"We'll need solutions if we want to keep our local grape varieties," Escudie told Reuters at the vineyard near Perpignan, in southeastern France.
10He said the turning solar panel technology might just be the future.
11He said, "We'll need to do something..." because their climate is changing.
12"Thirty years ago, we thought 32 degrees Celsius was an extreme temperature, when today it's 38 or even 40," he added.
13The fast-growing technology is called Agrivoltaics.
14It places solar panels over fields and vineyards.
15This permits farmers to produce power and grow crops with the same land.
16Several companies in Europe are developing similar technology to cover many different sorts of crops.
17A lower sugar content was found in the crops protected by the solar panels on Escudie's land due to reduced sun exposure.
18This permits him to control the amount of alcohol content in his wine, said Alexandre Cartier.
19He operates Lyon-based Sun'Agri, which developed the solar panels.
20The panels also help warm the ground by around two degrees Celsius.
21This protects the crop from frost, which can harm wine production.
22A frost in late April this year is expected to reduce wine production in France by nearly a third compared to recent years.
23An independent power company uses Escudie's land to place solar panels.
24This creates enough energy to power about 650 homes in the area, Sun'Agri says.
25Crop quality is placed ahead of power production.
26Cartier said this means some 15 to 20 percent of possible energy is lost over a year.
27Sun'Agri's technology uses weather information to decide when to block the sun or turn to give the crops more light.
28The company aims to have its technology in use on about 40 small farms and vineyards that are between two and four hectares.
29They will be found in southern France, the Rhone Valley, an important wine production area, and the Mediterranean, between 2022 and 2023.
30"When you are in areas affected by climate change, the farmers are looking to survive," Sun'Agri's Cartier said.
31I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Pierre Escudie has a vineyard in southwest France. He has put solar panels over his plants to both produce electricity and protect his fruit. 2Many in the area have seen the damage to their crops from this year's hot and cold weather. 3The solar panels protect the grapes during periods of extreme cold. They also protect the grapes from the sun when it is very hot. The panels also turn, which permits more light to hit the crops on cloudy days. 4Earth's rising temperatures, the increase of extreme heat, and the increase of dry and cold weather are changing the taste of French wines. Warmer temperatures cause the grapes to sweeten earlier, resulting in more sugar. 5"We'll need solutions if we want to keep our local grape varieties," Escudie told Reuters at the vineyard near Perpignan, in southeastern France. 6He said the turning solar panel technology might just be the future. 7He said, "We'll need to do something..." because their climate is changing. "Thirty years ago, we thought 32 degrees Celsius was an extreme temperature, when today it's 38 or even 40," he added. 8The fast-growing technology is called Agrivoltaics. It places solar panels over fields and vineyards. This permits farmers to produce power and grow crops with the same land. Several companies in Europe are developing similar technology to cover many different sorts of crops. 9Fight for survival 10A lower sugar content was found in the crops protected by the solar panels on Escudie's land due to reduced sun exposure. This permits him to control the amount of alcohol content in his wine, said Alexandre Cartier. He operates Lyon-based Sun'Agri, which developed the solar panels. 11The panels also help warm the ground by around two degrees Celsius. This protects the crop from frost, which can harm wine production. A frost in late April this year is expected to reduce wine production in France by nearly a third compared to recent years. 12An independent power company uses Escudie's land to place solar panels. This creates enough energy to power about 650 homes in the area, Sun'Agri says. 13Crop quality is placed ahead of power production. Cartier said this means some 15 to 20 percent of possible energy is lost over a year. 14Sun'Agri's technology uses weather information to decide when to block the sun or turn to give the crops more light. 15The company aims to have its technology in use on about 40 small farms and vineyards that are between two and four hectares. They will be found in southern France, the Rhone Valley, an important wine production area, and the Mediterranean, between 2022 and 2023. 16"When you are in areas affected by climate change, the farmers are looking to survive," Sun'Agri's Cartier said. 17I'm Gregory Stachel. 18Forrest Crellin reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 19______________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21vineyard - n. a field where grapes are grown 22solar panel - n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity 23grape - n. a green, dark red, or purplish-black berry that is used to make wine or is eaten as a fruit 24wine - n. an alcoholic drink made from the juice of grapes 25variety - n. a particular kind of person or thing 26frost - n. a thin layer of ice that forms on the ground, on grass, or on other plants when the air becomes cold