Chausse Magaut | Boralex Canada

23,8 hectares Area
Environ 8 700 inhabitants Supplied with electricity
20 400 Solar panels
Around 380 tons of CO2 Avoided annually

Technical data

Site technologyGround-Mounted Solar Power
Panel technologyAgrivoltaic tracker

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Project details

The Chausse Magaut agrivoltaic project is located in the town of Couteuges in the Haute-Loire department (43). It involves installing solar panels on agricultural pastureland. Cattle grazing will continue and has been central to the development of this agrivoltaic project.

The panels will be mounted on trackers, meaning they will follow the sun’s path from east to west from morning to evening. The lowest point of the panels will be 2.30 meters above the ground, allowing cattle to pass underneath, while the axis of rotation will be at 2.90 meters. The spacing between each row of panels will allow agricultural machinery to pass through; the distance between panels will be 4 meters, and between posts, 6.40 meters.

The project right-of-way will be enclosed by a 1.50-meter-high fence. Gates will be placed around the site to allow easy access for farmers while minimizing disruption to their farming practices.

Parc solaire de la clé des Champs France

Project Stakeholders

Elected officials from the municipality of Couteuges were the first stakeholders consulted for the project; we then reached out to the Departmental Directorate of Territories (DDT) and the Haute-Loire Chamber of Agriculture. Boralex subsequently contacted the affected landowners and farmers. What makes this project unique is that it involves multiple landowners and multiple farmers, with the latter not being the owners of the plots. The agrivoltaic project involves three local farms. The engineering firms that conducted all the field surveys are also essential stakeholders in the project’s implementation.

The project's challenges

Studies on biodiversity, agriculture, the landscape, and cultural heritage were conducted to develop a project with minimal environmental impact that is adapted to local agricultural practices. As the project progressed, several discussions took place with elected officials and farmers.