AgriPV

Researchers in the US ascertained that the partial shading provided by solar parks creates a microclimate that favors the abundant growth of more varied flowers and pollinators. They also found that partial shading increases bloom abundance by delaying bloom timing, increasing forage for pollinators during the hot and dry late season.

Lechwerke is testing two pilot systems close to existing solar parks. It also aims to build its first large-scale project.

Pine Gate Renewables has announced plans to deploy 9 MW of solar and 36 MWh of storage above a commercial cranberry bog.

The solar greenhouse was built by French developer Tenergie in 2017 and last year recorded a remarkable performance in terms of both agricultural ane electricity yield.

The German renewable energy developer has already identified two potential partners, a beekeeper and a sheep breeder, to exploit 20 hectares.

German energy company Steag wants to build three PV plants totaling 244 MW across several olive groves in the southern Italian region of Apulia. The unsubsidized agrivoltaic projects are expected to sell electricity through power purchase agreements. The distance between the rows of the olive grove and the photovoltaic system has been specifically designed both to avoid shadowing and allow the passage of the automatic machinery necessary for the cultivation of the olive trees.

German tracker manufacturer Ideematec has adapted its Horizon L:TEC tracker for a series of agrivoltaic projects totaling 100 MW that will be developed in France by Spanish developer Amda Energía. The new tracker is claimed to be able to operate synergistically with the agricultural equipment.

Enel Green Power is combining existing PV arrays with agriculture at nine pilot sites in Europe. pv magazine recently spoke to Giovanni Tula, the company’s head of sustainability, about the business model and its replicability.

Spanish-Japanese renewable energy company Univergy Solar and local partner New Energy Development are set to begin construction on the 120 MW Wallaroo Solar Farm on the border between New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory by the end of 2021. The agrivoltaic installation will operate symbiotically as a generator of clean energy, grazing land and a thriving habitat for native vegetation and pollinators.

Agrivoltaics could result in more food, more energy, lower water demand, lower carbon emissions, and more prosperous rural communities, says an Oregon State University researcher. He plans to build a farm to prove the point.