Horizontal single-axis trackers key to reduce agricultural yield losses in agrivoltaics
Fraunhofer ISE researchers investigating the impact of single-axis trackers on energy yield and agricultural losses in agrivoltaics have found that their use created an optimal balance between light available for photosynthesis and light available for electricity production.
South African province launches agrivoltaics tender
South Africa’s Mpumalanga province is seeking developers to partner with its Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land, and Environmental Affairs to establish and operate agrivoltaics at selected sites, with applications due by April 10.
Grid Parity unveils new glass-glass module for agrivoltaic systems
The translucent 320 W solar module will be presented for the first time in Rimini, Italy. It will be produced by production partner Agora in Slovakia from the third quarter.
‘They know the land’ farmer input and crop research key to UK agrivoltaics progress
University of Sheffield research finds agrivoltaics could be key to addressing land-use conflicts in England. Paper authors tell pv magazine a better understanding of how top UK crops perform alongside PV installations is needed, and farmer input is crucial.
Strawberry fields forever, and with transparent PV
Scientists have grown strawberries under thin-film cadmium telluride panels with varying transparency. They found that 40% transparency maintained a greater than 80% yield of uncovered plants. If all strawberry farms in the world were converted to agrivoltaics, they would produce up to 173 TWh a year.
Alphatracker awarded 100 MW of high-capacity agrivoltaic projects in France and Germany
The manufacturer will provide tailor-made tracking solutions for agrivoltaic projects in Saxony and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, among other sites.
Idemitsu Kosan invests in agrivoltaics
Idemitsu Kosan says it plans to start building a 2 MW agrivoltaics facility in Japan later this year, following the successful conclusion of a 45 kW pilot project. The company has developed a proprietary agrivoltaics system based on tracker technology.
European consortium develops perovskite-CIGS tandem modules for distributed solar PV
A European project aims to develop flexible tandem perovskite-CIGS solar technology to make 25%-efficient 100 cm2 modules with a variety of substrates for decentralized solar PV applications. The project entails using processes that are scalable for roll-to-roll production.
Australian university testing 20 kW agrivoltaic system on vineyard
Australian renewables company Greenwood has installed 48 solar panels at the University of Melbourne’s Dookie Campus vineyard to aid research on how agrivoltaics affect crop yields.
pv magazine Roundtables Europe: EU guidance for PV confirmed in agrivoltaics session
The European Commission will publish guidance on agrivoltaics as part of a wider document covering innovative technologies, attendees at pv magazine Roundtables Europe 2024 heard. More than 1,300 guests joined pv magazine’s live event on Dec. 5, which covered topics ranging from quality and European manufacturing to energy storage and solar cell technology.
