Rougeline has announced the start of a sustained transition to renewable energy. The cooperative of 159 producers, headquartered in Marmande, is the largest supplier of tomatoes (58,000 tons per year) in Southern France. The conversion is made up of two distinct projects.
The first project, called the ‘Ecoserre’, is led by Jean-Jacques Reygades and consists of heating through wood chips, saving 600 tons of CO2 per hectare per year. The other innovation is a type of double glass - a first in Europe - that lets in more light.
The second project is the Grands Lacs Energie, helmed by six producers, where 10 hectares is supplied with hot water from a boiler heated by waste. It is a closed greenhouse with an air inlet, provided with a filter against insects and parasites. "We expect an energy gain of 30%, an increase in production of 15% and the guarantee that no pesticides are used," says Vincent Audoy, one of the producers associated with the project.
The two projects are supported by two banks (Banque populaire for the first project, Crédit Agricole for the second), corporations and the Canadian oil company Vermillion.