Chardonnay vines grown beneath adjustable solar panels in southern France produced 60% more fruit than uncovered vines during one season, according to results from an agrivoltaic trial. The technology could also help growers retain acidity, reduce alcohol levels and use less water as French vineyards contend with increasingly extreme heat.
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.
Unlike conventional solar installations designed primarily to maximise electricity generation, the system uses movable panels controlled according to the needs of the vines.
Mounted above the trellis, the narrow panels can provide shade during periods of intense heat before moving to increase the amount of light reaching the plants when required. The design also allows vineyard machinery to operate beneath the installation.
Around 11 acres at the main trial site in the Pyrénées-Orientales are covered by panels, with approximately seven acres of uncovered vines providing a comparison.
The principle is to protect vines and grapes from excessive solar radiation during the hottest parts of the day.
Extreme temperatures can reduce photosynthesis and increase water stress, while grapes continue to ripen and lose acidity. Providing temporary shade could therefore help slow ripening and preserve a more favourable balance between sugar and acid.
The trials reported water savings ranging from 20% to 70%, alongside reductions in plant losses of between 25% and 50%.
The panels were also reported to offer protection during frost events, mitigating temperature drops of around 4°C.
A separate trial involving unirrigated Grenache Noir in the Vaucluse recorded yields more than 30% above uncovered vines.
For wine producers, the effect on grape composition may ultimately prove more important than individual yield increases.
According to the results reported by Ecoportal, wines produced from vines under the panels contained approximately 1.5 percentage points less alcohol, with acidity better preserved in white varieties.
That could have particular relevance in southern France, where warmer growing seasons can accelerate sugar accumulation and push harvest dates earlier.
Unlike the yield results, which varied substantially between varieties and seasons, Ecoportal reported that the effects on alcohol and acidity had been more consistent across the trials.
The findings come as winegrowers across France explore ways to protect vineyards from increasingly severe weather.
As previously reported by the drinks business, temperatures reached as high as 44°C during a heatwave in June, compounding the effects of drought, frost and hail in several regions.
Dr Alistair Nesbitt, CEO of Vinescapes, told db at the time: “When it gets too hot, the vines shut down. The soil becomes very dry. If there is no moisture in the soil, then no moisture is being pulled into the vines. It creates a really unsuitable growing environment. Producers in France and elsewhere are really struggling.”
One Loire Valley grower was reported to have lost around 40% of their crop after grapes suffered damage from prolonged exposure to intense sunshine.
Extreme heat can also affect the style of the resulting wine, with smaller berries and changing sugar, acid and flavour profiles presenting winemakers with difficult decisions over when to harvest.

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