Acesur builds 5,150-panel solar plant above olive grove in Jaén

Acesur, the Seville-based olive oil group behind the Coosur, La Española and Guillén brands, has begun construction of a solar plant in Vilches (Jaén) that will rise above a working olive grove. The project comprises more than 5,150 panels mounted over four metres high, with a combined capacity of 3.65 MWp, next to the company's packaging plant.

According to the company, the design respects 100% of the existing trees. Because the panels are elevated, normal farm work, including harvesting, can continue underneath, although the installation demands a more complex structure. The system also includes 3 MWh of storage intended to optimise self-consumption.

Who is involved

Granada-based renewables firm Greening is carrying out the work, backed by €2.8 million from Spain's energy agency IDAE. The University of Jaén is advising through Pedro Pérez, professor of electronic technology. A prototype in Navas de San Juan serves as the reference for the project.

The open questions

The company's announcement leaves out several figures. It gives no production data from the pilot, so it is unclear whether partial shade reduces olive yields or protects trees during stress periods. It also omits expected annual output, the share of demand covered, the total cost and how much of it the IDAE grant represents. Forecasts that have circulated mention more than 5,000 MWh a year. A calculation with the European Commission's PVGIS tool suggests about 5,900 MWh for a conventional 3.65 MWp plant at Vilches, though the real system may differ.

A 2023 University of Jaén study in Applied Energy found that agrivoltaic modules over olive groves would need 57% to 71% transparency to avoid slowing tree growth. That finding relates to super-intensive groves, whereas Acesur says the Vilches grove is traditional. The same study estimated that equipping 1% of Mediterranean olive groves could add 2.5% to global photovoltaic capacity and cut about four million tonnes of CO₂ a year, a model-based estimate for a different type of grove.

If Vilches approached the PVGIS figure, it would out-produce Acesur's four existing plants at factories in Vilches, Jabalquinto, Dos Hermanas and La Roda de Andalucía. Those cover 30,000 square metres, generate 3,654.70 MWh a year and provide an estimated 18% energy self-sufficiency.