Agrivoltaics

Italy has launched a second agrivoltaics tender, allocating €323 million ($348.4 million) in unused funds from the first round, which awarded 1.5 GW of capacity in December 2024. Developers have until June 30 to submit bids.

Scientists in Japan have conducted a field experiment in rice plantations hosting agrivoltaics systems and have found that rice growth can be affected by reduced biomass and reduced panicle number. However, their analysis has also shown that gross return in lowland rice agrivoltaics can be 14 times higher than rice growth without PV.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has expedited BayWa re’s 300 MW Cornucopia Hybrid agrivoltaic project, streamlining judicial review and cutting permitting delays.

An Italian research team has found that radicchio seedlings grown in a lab-scale greenhouse with a perovskite solar PV roof exhibited faster growth and larger leaves than the bare glass reference. In addition, simulations of such a PV roof revealed a positive energy balance, satisfying the energy demands of a typical greenhouse located in Italy.

Researchers in Canada have compared strawberry growth under uniform illumination from semi-transparent thin-film cadmium telluride panels and non-uniform illumination from semi-transparent crystalline silicon modules. Their analysis considered metrics such as fresh weight, height, leaf count, chlorophyll content, soil temperature and humidity.

Fraunhofer ISE researchers investigating the impact of single-axis trackers on energy yield and agricultural losses in agrivoltaics have found that their use created an optimal balance between light available for photosynthesis and light available for electricity production.

South Africa’s Mpumalanga province is seeking developers to partner with its Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land, and Environmental Affairs to establish and operate agrivoltaics at selected sites, with applications due by April 10.

The translucent 320 W solar module will be presented for the first time in Rimini, Italy. It will be produced by production partner Agora in Slovakia from the third quarter.

University of Sheffield research finds agrivoltaics could be key to addressing land-use conflicts in England. Paper authors tell pv magazine a better understanding of how top UK crops perform alongside PV installations is needed, and farmer input is crucial.

Scientists have grown strawberries under thin-film cadmium telluride panels with varying transparency. They found that 40% transparency maintained a greater than 80% yield of uncovered plants. If all strawberry farms in the world were converted to agrivoltaics, they would produce up to 173 TWh a year.