Agrivoltaics

An international research group has analyzed the visual impact of PV facades on buildings which include crop cultivation. Architects, PV specialists and farmers were surveyed and the results showed broad acceptance of such projects.

Semi-transparent organic solar cells can reduce the carbon footprint and raise the crop yield of greenhouses while acting as generators and insulation. Scientists in the U.S. say greenhouses equipped with organic cells could be energy self-sufficient year round in hot and moderate-humidity climates.

The German start-up provides mounting structures for bifacial solar modules as well as PV systems which can be installed as a fence to enclose pastures. Next2Sun Mounting Systems is offering 5% annual interest over five years.

Storage has long been expected to be the handmaiden of a renewable energy world and its long awaited advances started to finally emerge in the third quarter as researchers posited R&D achievements ranging from potentially potent tungsten disulfide nanotubes to the business case for 10-year solar panels.

The Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute is planning a huge solar power project which will integrate agriculture and livestock farming in the Sabah region. The research institute claims to have already secured $50 million for the project’s first, 200 MW phase. The 25,000ha required for the projects will host up to 150,000 cattle as well as cultivation of forage crops such as kenaf, corn, wheat and hay.

The company said its technology, which is managed by an AI-based system, can be used in agrivoltaic projects.

Ground-mounted PV systems promote biodiversity according to a new study published in Germany. Scientists collected data from 75 MW of solar plants nationwide and found the areas they were located in showed greater diversity and more intact habitat structures and found panels provide a refuge for animals.

With sun the common component of solar energy production and agriculture, a new company in northern New South Wales is set to combine the benefits of sowing PV and forage crops in the same soil.

A U.S. microgrid specialist will draw up proposals for an independent solar-plus-storage system to ensure a remotely-situated cannabis farm in California can get the energy it needs to power cultivation.

Take-up has been slow considering the nation’s mammoth agricultural industry but, as a packed session on the topic at the recent Renewable Energy India show illustrated, attitudes may be changing in a nation which is already installing solar greenhouses.