Agrivoltaics

A European consortium including Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE is researching suitable crop and PV system combinations, conducting tests under Nordic conditions, and developing software to expedite adoption.

The government of the Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia has outlined new requirements to authorize agrivoltaic power generation on agricultural land.

Scientists in Israel have tested three different PV technologies to power a greenhouse hosting 400 cucumber seedlings. Their analysis has revealed that the PV module cover on the greenhouse’s roof has a “negligible” impact on crop yield, but they also noted that the greenhouse cover’s spectral transmittance and accumulated dust may negatively affect solar module performance.

The South Korean government has announced a new package of measures to support agrivoltaic projects. It says that the agrivoltaics business should be a priority for agricultural companies.

German researchers are studying using an overhead solar PV system, designed to be removable and reusable, as a sunshade for young fir trees. The pilot, located at a quartz sand excavation site, will be monitored to compare growth and water consumption with an adjacent unshaded tree plot.

Scientists in the Netherlands conducted meta-analysis on the growth of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants under different levels of shade generated by elevated agrivoltaic systems. They found that, although classified as shade-benefitting in previous literature, not all berries are equally profiting from the presence of the photovoltaic panels.

The French government has published long-anticipated rules defining conditions for installing PV panels on agricultural areas, with consideration for the coverage rate and acceptable loss of agricultural yield.

Sensors from German electronics manufacturer SICK are used in solar PV tracking systems since 2021. Now they are making their way into agrivoltaic applications.

A new survey conducted by Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE showed that 72.4% of the country’s farmers are considering the deployment of an agrivoltaic project. Among the main factors behind this choice, the researchers identified the additional source of income coming from solar power generation and the perceived usefulness of the technology.

New research from Italy shows lower wheat production under elevated agrivoltaic systems, but a simultaneous increase in nutritional value for livestock. pv magazine Italy spoke with the academics about their future research.