Agrivoltaics

The Croatian government has adopted bylaws to the Spatial Planning Act that define agrivoltaic installations and the areas in which they can be deployed, in order to facilitate future deployment.

Scientists from India conceived a new system for crop growth in remote areas with no connection to the power grid. It consists of a PV panel, add-on module hardware (AOMH), a battery, step-down DC-DC converters, system power devices, automation, and sensor elements. For climate control, it also comprises a water pump, a ventilation fan for CO2 assimilation, sprinkler foggers, and drop irrigation solenoids.

Researchers in Denmark have analyzed the potential of PV systems and their influence on the underlying farmland in three different agrivoltaic projects, including vertical bifacial optimal tilted, horizontal single-axis tracking, and vertical bifacial setups. They also calculated the potential for agrivoltaic in every region in the European Union and found that the eligible areas are unevenly distributed.

Germany’s Agri Energia has switched on a pilot agrivoltaic facility near Munich to protect hop plants from sunlight and hail, while also reducing evaporation. It is installed on steel masts that serve as support for the hop plants.

An Italian research group has assessed the advantages of combining solar power generation in greenhouses with vertical farming. The scientists claim this new approach offers better land use while increasing agricultural yield.

Slovenian solar manufacturer Bisol is offering new solar panels with outputs of 320 W and 410 W. Front efficiencies range from 16.4% to 17.3% and the temperature coefficient is -0.34% per degree Celsius.

The Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (Enea) will soon release an online map to identify suitable sites for agrivoltaics. The map, based on landscape indicators, will provide qualitative and quantitative information to facilitate the selection of appropriate locations for the integration of agriculture and solar energy.

Bear Valley Solar will deploy 240 kW of a 1.5 MW cattle-sited solar field pasture this year, with the first phase of construction ramping up this summer, developer David McFeeters-Krone told pv magazine USA.

In May 2022, PV experts from around the world convened in Germany for the third Terawatt Workshop. Almost one year later, takeaways from discussions at the workshop – combined with a wide-ranging review of research on decarbonization pathways, energy demand projections, and the state of the art in PV technology – led to the conclusion that 75 TW of installed solar capacity by 2050 was a realistic global target. More than 50 leading PV industry figures recently outlined the opportunity and the challenges that solar will face in reaching this goal.

Swiss startup Insolight said that it has finished a new agrivoltaic pilot project in Lucerne, Switzerland. It said it will monitor the facility for three years to assess PV performance and its impact on agriculture.