Agrivoltaics for rice growers

South Korean energy supplier East-West Power has finished building a 300 kW agrivoltaic project near the Korean city of Ulsan.

The projects consist of three 100 kW units, occupying a total area of ​about 5,157 square meters on land used for rice cultivation. They span three different villages: Guryang-ri, Duseo-myeon, and Ulju-gun. The company installed the modules at a height of 4 meters to facilitate rice cultivation and enable the passage of heavy machinery beneath the mounting structures.

“These facilities will be operated with the help of donations from the Korea Energy Foundation, and the profits from solar power generation will be returned to the local community every year, which will be used to support rural self-reliance and the revitalization of the local economy,” East-West Power said, noting that it previously built two agrivoltaic projects totaling 400 kW.

The Ulju-gun Agricultural Technology Center will analyze the yield and growth rate of rice cultivated under the solar power plants.

East-West Power has not reveal any additional technical details about the projects.