Agrivoltaics: Exploring Solar & Farming
Jul 04, 2023 7:01 am
Agrivoltaics: Exploring Solar & Farming
2 min read
Agrivoltaics (APV) is farming and producing solar power simultaneously. There are mainly 3 different methods of agrivoltaics: solar arrays with space between for crops, stilted solar arrays above crops, and greenhouse solar arrays.
Solar arrays with space between for crops
This concept involves leaving more space between the panel rows where crops can be grown. This is called alternating land use as the space beneath the solar panels is not used and needs to be maintained. The land beneath the panels will be shaded during the day which alters the characteristics of the land and only allows for certain types of crops to be grown there. Another method uses vertically mounted bifacial solar panels which can collect solar energy from both sides of the panel. These panels also protect the crops from wind and generate more solar energy per square meter.
Stilted solar arrays above crops
This concept uses solar panels that are mounted high enough for farming vehicles to pass underneath. There still needs to be space between the panel rows (for safety reasons), which results in a 3-10% arable land surface loss. In some cases the panels are mounted with actuators, meaning they can tilt on a 90ᵒ angle to capture more sunlight and to allow the crops underneath to receive maximum sunlight.
Greenhouse solar arrays
In this concept crops are grown directly under the solar panels which are placed in alternating rows facing either east and west or north and south (east-west for northern hemisphere and north-south for southern hemisphere). This maximises solar energy yield while protecting the plants from wind, heavy rains, hailstones and excess sunlight. This is called dual land use as the space is for both solar and crops. Unlike the other examples, dual land use agrivoltaics can be used for grazing by small livestock such as chickens, geese and sheep.
Traditional solar panels take away too much sunlight, so this concept requires panels with spacing between the solar cells to let some light through. This is suitable for plants that do not need too much sunlight to grow, and plants that suffer when receiving too much sunlight and thus need to be covered for protection such as raspberries, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and potatoes. This setup also keeps the crops cooler, reducing the amount of water needed to grow them by 50%.
Agrivoltaics does not produce more energy than traditional solar farms, nor does it produces more food than traditional crop or livestock farms. What it does do is combine the two together, and in a world where the food demand is expected to increase anywhere from 59% to 98% by 2050, and electricity demand is expected to grow between 4% and 5% per year.
Do you think agrivoltaics should be used everywhere? Do you think that it is the future of farming and solar energy? Share your thoughts by replying to this email!
For more information on agrivoltaics, or any other energy related articles, view the blog posts on my website and be sure to open my weekly emails every Tuesday at 9am CAT.
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