GLHD is developing consultation in Augmented Reality for its agrivoltaic projects.
CONTEXT
Green Lighthouse Développement (GLHD), a French pioneer in agrivoltaics founded in 2018 near Bordeaux, supports more than 200 farmers in their solar energy production projects.
The company develops collective projects on a regional scale, with the intangible principles of avoiding ecological issues, zero artificialization, consultation, and maintaining agricultural activity.
PROBLEM
Agrivoltaic projects often raise concerns, as it is difficult for local residents and farmers to visualize what a park would actually look like. Traditional media (drawings, photomontages) are not enough to reassure people about how the installations will fit into the landscape.
How can GLHD present its projects in a clear and reassuring way, allowing:
• Farmers to imagine how their land would look with solar panels
• Local residents to understand the visual impact of the installations
• All stakeholders to grasp the complexity of an agrivoltaic project?
SOLUTION
YZAR has designed an Augmented Reality application that allows projects to be visualized directly in their real environment via tablet, with key features:
• Real-time projection of agrivoltaic structures (fixed or trackers) in the landscape
• Electrical buildings and fire tanks
• Interactive simulation based on viewing distance
• Ability to move around and under virtual structures
• Intuitive interface for adjusting the distances and heights of installations
Successfully tested in Précy-le-Sec (Yonne), the solution enabled participants to gain a concrete understanding of how the project would fit into the landscape.
BENEFITS
As Anaïs Plumer, GLHD project manager for the Précy-le-Sec site, explains: The trial we conducted during a walk enabled participants to understand how the trackers work and to visualize how the project would fit into the landscape, which was designed in consultation with the local community.
The tool offers several key advantages:
• Objective and immediate visualization of actual dimensions
• Dynamic testing of landscape integration solutions
• Better understanding of projects by local residents and farmers thanks to in situ visualization
• Facilitation of dialogue and consultation
• Stimulation of constructive contributions from local residents
GLHD thus demonstrates its commitment to transparency and co-construction with local communities, using innovative technologies to facilitate the acceptability of its agrivoltaic projects.
TESTIMONIAL
"GLHD systematically develops voluntary consultation processes for each of its projects. This citizen-focused approach provides an additional opportunity to gather opinions and suggestions for improvement in real time."