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Manifesto

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Intro

1. Intro

Climate change has become a serious issue, especially since its effects are being felt in our own lives, even in Belgium (droughts, floods, storms, etc.). We need to adapt our way of life and adopt new approaches supported by our political leaders.


Our natural resources can be put to better use in new ways, in accordance with the characteristics of the land and taking into account its potential and constraints.


The Diodi solution for sustainable farmland management provides an answer to the challenges of agriculture, energy, forestry and biodiversity while preparing the farmer for the new CAP and the Green Deal. We demonstrate that it is possible to integrate farming activities with renewable energy in a win-win solution for biodiversity and for all stakeholders involved in the project.

Did you know ?

Solar energy produced on 1 hectare:

  • Saves 370 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year compared to electricity produced by a gas power plant.

  • Produces the same amount of energy as 100 hectares of biofuel crops (without consuming water or phytosanitary products).

Did you know?

These additional costs are reflected in the price paid by the consumer and society for electricity. Finally, rooftop production is intended for local consumption and is generally not sufficient to meet the needs of businesses and charging electric cars.

  • The installation and grid connection costs are higher.

  • Panels can only be optimally oriented towards the sun in certain cases.

  • The available roof area is limited. 

The different types of photovoltaic installations differ significantly.
For example, the cost of an installation on rooftops is up to 2 times that of a system on land:

Challenges

2. The challenges of sustainable land management

2.1 Farming Challenges

Today, agriculture is facing many challenges as summarised in the nine key objectives of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The solution of Diodi contributes to seven of these objectives.

CAP objectives

Farm income is volatile and unpredictable

Farmers' income depends on climatic conditions, changing legal and environmental requirements, consumer demand, competition and market prices. 

The addition of solar energy to the agricultural activities of the farmer offers an additional income. This stabilises their income and allows a long-term farming vision

Farming business autonomy and continuity

Only one out of five farmers have a successor for their business, and the share of young farmers (< age 35) is only 6% in Belgium.

Diodi provides a new perspective for the next generation and helps them adopt farming practices that are in line with the current values of our society.

The impact of climate change

Heat waves and droughts, or intense rainfall, all have an impact on productivity and consequently on farming competitiveness, prompting intensive farming on a wider scale to compensate for the losses incurred.

The complementary income generated by a Diodi project offers a solution to the precariousness of farming as a result of climate change.

Environmental impact 

The agricultural sector is one of the sectors that emits CO2. Land use accounts for 12% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU and intensive farming practices are the main cause of agricultural emissions. The imbalance between consumption and regeneration of soil resources leads to a loss of soil nutrients and thus to an increase in the use of fertilisers. These practices dramatically compromise the biodiversity of farmland.

As well as regenerating the soil, the Diodi solution has a positive effect on the carbon cycle in three ways.

Triple carbon effect

  • The land under and between the solar panels absorbs and stores more carbon then traditionally farmed soil. 

  • The land is farmed to a lesser extent with CO2-emitting machines. 

  • The electricity produced by solar panels is CO2 free.

2.2 Energy challenges

The challenges related to energy are enormous:

  • Temperatures and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are breaking new records each year. 

  • The current 2030 targets of the interfederal energy pact, included in the national energy and climate plan, imposes a 40% share of renewable electricity. 

  • Belgium currently produces 18% of its energy from renewable sources, 6% of which is solar. 

  • The demand for electricity is constantly increasing. Electric cars, for example, are a major new consumer (on average 0.2 kWh/km). 

  • Nuclear power is scheduled to be phased out by 2025, even though these power stations produce over 50% of our electricity needs.

  • This means renewable electricity production needs to more than double over the next ten years by finding and adopting new solutions to produce CO2 free electricity 

Ground-based photovoltaics, a solution for the future

Renewable technologies such as wind and solar PV have become cost competitive with conventional technologies. For solar, three options can be compared:

  • Panels on the roofs of buildings (private or industrial), which offer limited production at high cost. 

  • Panels on land along main roads with a medium output and one function: electricity production.

  • Panels on land integrated into agricultural areas, which offer large-scale energy production at a lower cost than other solar options and also pave the way for multifunctional land use:

    • Agricultural use: fodder, grazing and refuge for biodiversity;

    • Production of renewable electricity;

    • Stable and complementary farming income;

    • Integration of agro-ecological features (hedges, flower strips, agro-forestry);

    • Carbon sinks and erosion buffers;

    • Soil suitable for any agricultural use after removal of the solar panels.

3. Biodiversity

Challenges

Biodiversity, whether animal, vegetable or microbial, is essential to mainting our life-giving environment. However, it is decreasing at an increasing pace and species are disappearing every day. For this reason and to meet global and European commitments, the Belgian strategy recommends, among other things, to protect and restore biodiversity through protected areas and green infrastructure. Biodiversity supports ecosystem services (e.g. food security, human health, provision of clean air and drinking water, etc.).

Our solution

The biodiversity challenge is carefully taken into account for each Diodi project, in collaboration with biodiversity experts. 

A Diodi project is specifically designed to bring functional and integrated biodiversity back to the land. Each project creates areas that are strictly dedicated to biodiversity and areas for multifunctional use. In addition, a Diodi project introduces agro-ecological features, which reinforce biodiversity and integrate the project into the landscape: hedges (in accordance with the project of Minister Tellier - Yes We Plant), high diversity flower strips, orchards, agro-forestry, beehives, etc. All of this integrates with the direct environment of the project, in order to create functional ecological corridors. 

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Contribution to the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy

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  • Creation of refuge areas and corridors which are essential for the migration of species.

  • Creation of diversified micro-habitats by establishing semi-shaded, low-disturbance grasslands in the multifunctional solar panel zones.

  • The selected woody plants favour the development of pollinator species.​
     

These aspects are complementary to their ecological functions, but they also contribute to the diversity of the created ecosystem services.

 

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  • Establish landscape features rich in biodiversity on agricultural land;

  • Promote the adoption of agro-ecological practices;

  • Reverse the decline of pollinators;

  • Reduce the use of pesticides by 50%;

  • Restore degraded ecosystems.

Biodiversity

Benefits for Biodiversity

4. Economic benefits

For local businesses

Through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), companies and public entities can purchase 100% green and local electricity, without the need for a physical connection to the project. The price of this electricity, which is generated via a project that promotes local biodiversity, is competitive and does not fluctuate.

For local stakeholders

The concept provides opportunities to involve local stakeholders in various maintenance and upkeep works such as: panels, hedges, biodiversity measures, fodder, sheep grazing, marketing of other agricultural products such as honey. 

For local residents

The feasibility is still being analyzed, but residents could

  • be invited to invest in a sustainable Diodi project with a profitable and stable return through crowdfunding.

  • buy green energy generated by Diodi projects

For the agricultural profession

A Diodi project is a new hybrid, cross-sectoral and multifunctional agricultural solution that promotes the profitability, sustainability and competitiveness of the agricultural activity. Diodi projects are attractive for the new generation of farmers because they prepare them for future challenges, increase and stabilise their profits and provide them with a clear long-term vision, and as such facilitate succession.

For the owner farmer

This innovative solution generates a complementary and attractive long-term income for the landowner farmer, allowing him to continue his farming activity and preserve the value of his assets. This solution empowers the farmer. Solar PV is a mature, economical and reliable technology and the sun shines on average the same number of hours each year; this additional income is therefore stable and guaranteed. To finance the project, farmer-owners can co-invest.

Economic benefits
Solar panels: Environmental impact

5. Solar panels: Environmental impact

Recycling

  • After 30 years, the panels will be removed and recycled, and no residue remains on the land.

  • Currently, 93.5% of solar panel materials are recycled. This percentage increases each year due to the continuous improvement of recycling technology.

Effects on the landscape

  • To reduce the effects on the landscape, agro-ecological features such as evergreen hedges surround the projects. Agro-forestry zones can be added to create a green barrier.

  • The installed PV panels are covered with an anti-reflective coating and use textured glass.

Effects on soil and erosion

  • Solar panels have no negative effects on the soil:

    • Easy to install without concrete;

    • No fluids that pollute the soil;

    • No residual products when they are removed.

  • No tilling between and under the panels helps to structure the soil and forms buffers against erosion;

  • Fodder and biodiversity zones between and under the panels restore the fertility of soils depleted by cultivation.;

  • Adapting the relief of the terrain is not necessary for the installation of solar panels: the orientation towards the sun can be adjusted according to the slope of the land.

Noise effects

  • Solar panels do not emit noise.

  • The inverters only emit noise during the day and this is equivalent to voices in a normal conversation.

  • The inverters will be installed in soundproof electrical cabins to reduce noise.

  • The only residual noise will be that of the cooling fans in the electric cabins during hot weather during the day.

  • This residual noise will be camouflaged by natural background noise.

Impacts on water usage and management

  • The shade generated by the hedges and panels will increase the moisture content of the land. Water and irrigation savings will be substantial by slowing down the evapotranspiration process.

  • The increased permeability of the soil will improve water infiltration into the aquifer (this measure mitigates run-off that in turn causes erosion and flooding).

  • Rainwater that falls on the solar panels can be collected and used for irrigation just like a roof.

Effects on air quality

  • Solar panels have no impact on air quality.

  • Solar panels do not produce chemicals, gases or harmful radiation.

  • The complementary agroecological features such as hedges contribute to the overall improvement of air quality.

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