Agrivoltaics

Two Australian farmers say their solar panels increased grazing quality during droughts over a four-year period, aligning with research suggesting that solar panel microclimates might increase water retention and grass production.

East-West Power has switched on three 100 kW agrivoltaic arrays at rice plantations in South Korea. It placed the solar modules at a height of 4 meters to enable the passage of heavy machinery.

The new solar module can be purchased with different levels of transparency, depending on the project, with light transmittance ranging between 30% and 40%. It has a power output of 245 W to 300 W and a temperature coefficient of -0.30% per C.

Subsidies for PV projects are a divisive topic in European countries. Mistakes of the past hang over fresh decision-making processes. Experts argue that changing market conditions are making even months-old schemes too generous, while missing the real issues.

The solar modules feature different levels of transparency and the 280 W version has a power conversion efficiency of 13.40% and a temperature coefficient is -0.324% per C. It measures 2,005 mm x 1,042 mm x 35 mm and weighs 23 kg.

French startup Ecovégétal has developed a PV system configuration that uses vegetation to reduce the operating temperature of the modules. It says the presence of certain plants on a flat rooftop can even serve as a bulwark against the risk of fire.

France’s environmental agency Ademe has released a set of new guidelines that clearly define “agrivoltaics.”

The facility was built with heterojunction modules and mounting systems provided by German companies Luxor Solar and Next2Sun, respectively. The distance between the panel rows ranges from 8 to 10 meters and the agricultural surface within the rows will be utilized by local livestock farmers as pasture.

Created by a Dutch group of companies and research institutions, the mobile solar system may also be combined with an electrolyzer for hydrogen generation. Two prototypes are currently being tested by a farmer and a research institute in the Netherlands.

French solar company TSE has developed an agrivoltaic rotating canopy that allows large agricultural machinery to move under the panels. The solution consists of a rotating structure that can host bifacial solar modules at a height of more than 5.5 meters, with a four-post structure measuring 27 m x 11 m.