Lesaffre and Qair sign agrivoltaic PPA
Qair, an independent renewable energy company and Lesaffre, a key player in fermentation and micro-organisms for over 170 years, have signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) from an agrivoltaic plant.
Covering a forecast annual purchase volume of around 34 GWh, this additional PPA provides for the supply of green electricity from an agrivoltaic project (synergy between agricultural production and photovoltaic energy) developed by Qair in the Hauts-de-France region. It will enable Lesaffre to continue decarbonising and thus accelerate its energy transition by increasing the proportion of renewable energy in its energy supply.
With construction starting in 2025 and operation scheduled for 2026, the plant will avoid the equivalent of around 630 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year and inject 68 GWh of green electricity per year into the French power grid.
“We’re delighted to be taking part in the decarbonization of Lesaffre, a company that shares our commitment to local community support. Through agrivoltaics, Qair aims to support farmers, protect their land, and secure their production. 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” says Louis Blanchard, CEO of Qair Group.
After a first PPA signed in 2023 to supply green energy to the Group’s largest yeast plant in Marcq-en-Baroeul, Lesaffre is taking another step towards decarbonizing its production sites in France by signing this second CPPA, which will supply green energy to the Biospringer by Lesaffre site in Maisons Alfort, near Paris. This second signature is in line with Lesaffre’s ongoing commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and energy consumption. Among the projects underway are the installation of a biomass plant at the LIS by Lesaffre site in Cérences (Normandy), the installation of a wind turbine at the Algist Bruggeman site in Belgium, and the signing in November 2022 of a 15-year partnership with another player in the energy sector for the design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of a waste heat recovery unit at the Lesaffre site in Marcq-en-Barœul. As part of this drive to decarbonise its production sites, the Group is currently considering a number of investments in renewable energies.
Sheep farming under solar panels
The agrivoltaic project has been tailored to adapt to the needs of the farmers with whom pre-contracts have been signed, paving the way for the agreements that will materialise with building permits. Like Lesaffre, which is committed to working with its partners to help them adopt sustainable practices, Qair designs its projects to serve local players, from the agricultural world to local authorities and industrial purchasers of green electricity, to meet all the energy needs of these ecosystems.
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
Energy Global’s Spring 2024 issue
The Spring 2024 issue of Energy Global starts with a guest comment from Field on how battery storage sites can serve as a viable solution to curtailed energy, before moving on to a regional report from Théodore Reed-Martin, Editorial Assistant, Energy Global, looking at the state of renewables in Europe. This issue also hosts an array of technical articles on electrical infrastructure, turbine and blade monitoring, battery storage technology, coatings, and more.
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/15032024/lesaffre-and-qair-sign-agrivoltaic-ppa/
