Arcenciel Domaine de Taanayel: Two-Phase Energy, Water and Agricultural Resilience Program
Client: arcenciel (Domaine de Taanayel), operator of the Monastery of Taanayel, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Service: Solar
Status: Completed across two phases
Phase 1: Solar Car Park, Grid-Tied Systems and Sensor Network (July 2016 to September 2018)
FREE energy delivered a resilient, multi-part solution to optimize energy and water consumption for arcenciel’s Domaine de Taanayel, addressing water, energy, and agricultural challenges at the Monastery of Taanayel through a replicable matrix of interventions designed to cut carbon emissions, improve farming productivity, and support local farmers.
The technical scope included a 60.45 kWp solar car park, two additional grid-tied solar systems totaling 86.2 kWp, an 8 kWp off-grid solar system powering lake aeration to reduce fish mortality, a weather station network with soil mapping sensors, tree-growth dendrometers, leaf-wetness sensors, and rainfall-rate sensors, plus a complete electrical infrastructure overhaul and ongoing consulting support.
The program delivered a 22% reduction in annual water consumption, a significant decrease in fish mortality, enhanced irrigation capabilities for farmers, and an estimated 164.5 tons of CO2 savings annually.
Phase 2: The Water/Energy/Food Nexus Case Study, Taanayel Resilient Strategy (Energy Globe Award Winner, Water category)
As the Taanayel facility continued to expand, it ran into unbalanced electrical phases, low power factor, wasteful appliances and processes, undersized infrastructure, and a medium-voltage station nearing capacity, problems compounded by a 2013 drought that reduced agricultural yield and crop quality across the Bekaa Valley. FREE energy’s continued partnership with arcenciel on these constraints was submitted to and recognized by the Energy Globe Award under the title “The Water/Energy/Food Nexus Case Study, Taanayel Resilient Strategy.”
The submission itemized four technological components. A 200 kWp on-grid solar PV system, installed in phases between 2014 and 2017 at a cost of $187,000, generates approximately 327,936 kWh annually, saving $52,587 a year and reducing CO2 emissions by 211.25 tonnes annually. A weather and soil monitoring matrix, comprising weather stations, soil tension mapping, tree-growth dendrometers, and sap-flow monitoring (phytogram), installed in 2016 at a cost of roughly $42,000, has helped conserve water at a rate of 22% annually since installation and saves an estimated $8,500 a year in pesticides, fertilizers, and water pumping. A complete electrical infrastructure revamp, following a three-month on-site assessment by FREE energy’s engineering team, reduced cabling losses and pump and split-unit malfunctions; arcenciel’s Director, Elia Ghorra, measured the resulting savings at approximately $6,000 a year (33,333 kWh, 21.6 tonnes of CO2 annually) against a consulting cost of $14,000. Finally, a 1 kWp off-grid solar system powers the compressors that keep Taanayel’s lake free of algae, generating 1,860 kWh annually, worth $600 in yearly savings and a 1.2 tonne annual CO2 reduction, while measurably reducing fish mortality.
Together, the four components gave arcenciel a resilient, replicable model for Lebanese agriculture, reducing energy and water consumption and production costs, improving irrigation decision-making, and strengthening the facility’s ability to weather Lebanon’s chronic grid instability, with results shared with the wider farming community through seminars and site tours.
