Solar panels boost Chardonnay yields by 60% in French trial

Solar panels positioned above vines could offer French winegrowers another tool for adapting to rising temperatures, with trials in southern France reporting improvements in yields, water use and grape composition.

Results reported by Ecoportal show that Chardonnay grown beneath an adjustable agrivoltaic system in the Pyrénées-Orientales yielded 60% more fruit than uncovered control vines during the 2024 season.

Marselan yields were 30% higher and Grenache Blanc 20% higher under the panels.

However, results from the same vines a year earlier differed considerably. In 2023, covered Chardonnay yielded just 10% more than the control, compared with increases of 25% for Marselan and 45% for Grenache Blanc.

The year-to-year variation suggests caution is required when interpreting the headline yield figures, particularly as the results were published by Sun’Agri, the company behind the technology, rather than as part of peer-reviewed research.

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