Ombrea

Ombrea operates as TotalEnergies' international center of expertise in agri-energies, focusing on the synergy between agricultural production and renewable energy generation. The company was founded in Aix-en-Provence, France, in October 2016 by the father-daughter team of Christian Davico, a horticulturist, and Julie Davico-Pahin. The inspiration for the company came from direct experience when Christian Davico lost a significant portion of his crops due to drought, highlighting the increasing risks farmers face from climate change.

The core of Ombrea's business is providing agrivoltaic solutions that protect crops from climatic hazards while simultaneously producing solar energy. It serves farmers in sectors such as viticulture, arboriculture, horticulture, and livestock farming. The business model involves designing, developing, and operating these systems, with the electricity generated and sold to the grid helping to finance the installations. Ombrea's technology consists of mobile, intelligent shade structures equipped with solar panels. These systems use sensors to collect real-time microclimate data like humidity and temperature. An AI-driven algorithm then controls the adjustable panels, opening and closing them to create an optimal microclimate, protecting plants from hail, frost, and drought, and reducing water needs by up to 30%. This dynamic shading prioritizes the crop's needs, for instance, by maximizing light during critical growth stages like flowering.

Before being fully acquired by TotalEnergies in September 2023, Ombrea had already established a partnership with the energy giant in 2019. The company also secured several funding rounds, including a €10 million raise in 2021. Following the acquisition, Ombrea's founders and its team of over 40 experts were integrated into TotalEnergies, which established its global agrivoltaics hub at Ombrea's Aix-en-Provence site. This acquisition is set to accelerate TotalEnergies' portfolio of 1.5 GW of agrivoltaic projects. Ombrea's solutions have demonstrated tangible benefits, such as lowering the alcohol degree in wine by protecting grapes from excessive sun.

Keywords: agrivoltaics, smart farming, crop protection, renewable energy, climate adaptation, agritech, solar energy, sustainable agriculture, microclimate management, dual-land use, viticulture, arboriculture, horticulture, livestock farming, AI in agriculture, water conservation, TotalEnergies, Christian Davico, Julie Davico-Pahin, mobile solar panels, intelligent shading, agri-energy