Green energy adventure are not reassured so far

I was interested for a long time renewable energy without daring to take the step individually. Through our collective action, it has become much less complicated. "Since a month, Philippe Mouly is farmer but also energy producer. Not much, a 20 kilowatt hours supplied by 175 square metres of photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of his barn. But the farmer is conquered, he already plans to cover other barn in a few months. His case is far from being marginal, panels grow underwater in beautiful bocageux valleys of Aveyron. Since last fall, total 172 farms themselves are draped 30,000 square metres of blue. The more cautious were a piece of test of ten kilowatt-hours, most ambitious under 100. The case eventually to keep. The village of Rouergue, hence the contagion is part is now scroll farmers in the neighboring departments, come see the phenomenon. And other projects to flourish at the edge of the spring.

Already sensitized

"Renewable energy could represent a good portion of our revenues in a dozen years," hope stone Bastide, one of the initiators of the adventure. The man fell into the pot of sustainable development for more than fifteen years. At the time, 680 breeders of calves in the area are stepping up efforts to stem the decline in quality of their meat, threatening to flee the Italian customers. The joint is organised for a Red Label which rewards the special quality of this pink flesh. Pierre Bastide proposed to a few hundreds of breeders go even further in development reasoned of the die. They founded the SA4R company and negotiate a partnership in the long term with the slaughter of Auchan head that today still satisfies both parties. The 158 shareholders of the company (for 289 breeders just providers) must commit to spend more than two days per year in a supermarket to promote their meat in contact with consumers. "The French are accustomed to white veal meat, we had to prove the attractiveness of our pink meat," explains Pierre Bastide. The effort has paid, the SA4R accounts for 21 million euros of turnover and breeders want to deepen the approach.

European aid

"It is the permanent contact with consumers that prompted us to invest in renewable energy." "We believe that it will be a very valuable additional selling point when schnitzel will be affected by inflation," explains Pierre Bastide. A reflection which convinced 70 shareholders of SA4R to start the adventure of the photovoltaic. They thus founded a debt structure, the Adder Corporation, for a loan over 15 years with Crédit Agricole. It covers 80 of the investment of EUR 16.6 million. The rest is provided by a loan of each farmer on twelve years. Roofs belong to Adder which affects the subsidized rate of EDF and reverse a rent to its shareholders. "It is safe for us because the rent covers our borrowing," said Philippe Mouly. As the law guarantees a stable rate of redemption of EDF on twenty years. European Federe aid also transited the Regional Council. If all goes well, the farmers could affect some dividends of the company in four years, then income at the end of the loan. The more modest producers hope especially a complement of retirement. Green energy adventure are not reassured so far. Their business plan is based on theoretical curves of sunshine in the region. Gold producers realize that yields fluctuate more than expected, the fault to the weather. And then several operations, such as Dominique Pradel, are still not connected to the network, while they have their photovoltaic cells since the fall. Loss of profits that is starting to get excited. EDF and its subcontractors, overwhelmed, or a building permit fault not provided. Dominique Pradel, who has a larger capacity of 80 kWh production, has been requiring a permit for the transformer.

These doubts have not broken with the blue wave spreading in the region. Farmers have created several similar to Adder investment companies. These new structures are needed to attract new breeders, who are not shareholders of the SA4R, but also because conditions have changed as aid Federe or redemption EDF tariff, from 0.57 to 0.60 euro. The objective would be to reach 70,000 square metres of additional panels. The success is such that it goes beyond borders of farms: "the veterinarian asked us to participate in the operation," smiles Philippe Mouly.