Recent analysis carried out by Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE on agrivoltaics has proven that not solely vegetation grown below PV panels profit from partial shading, but in addition that the PV system produces extra electrical energy than earlier than which is regarded as due to the cooling supplied by the vegetation beneath.
As a part of the analysis mission “Model Region: Agrivoltaics for Baden-Württemberg,” a consortium of greater than thirty mission companions, led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, is constructing and researching varied agrivoltaics (APV) pilot vegetation in Baden-Württemberg.
Initial interim outcomes from a mission present that not solely do crops grown below PV panels profit from partial shading, however the PV system additionally produces extra electrical energy than beforehand thought because of the cooling supplied. within the vegetation beneath.
The measurements of the primary agrivoltaic system for apple timber, positioned in Kressbronn on Lake Constance, have been carried out for 2 years now and the primary outcomes of the mission can be found. The researchers discovered that 70% much less pesticides had been wanted for the orchard below the APV system, and the necessity for irrigation was lowered by 50%. This truly counteracts the growing development of an excessive amount of solar and too little water for apple timber as a result of local weather change.
The agrivoltaic system produced greater than 20% extra electrical energy than the consortium anticipated based mostly on their simulations. The precise causes for this are nonetheless the topic of additional investigations, however the analysis staff suspects that the mixture of evaporative cooling and rear air flow makes an important contribution to the elevated energy output.
“Not solely do the vegetation profit from the shade supplied by the PV system, however the PV yield additionally advantages from the vegetation if the agrivoltaic system is deliberate correctly,” says Oliver Hörnle, mission supervisor at Fraunhofer ISE , which summarizes the interim outcomes.
These encouraging outcomes affirm the identical synergies for fruit rising purposes that had been beforehand measured for an APV system on arable land in 2018 within the APV-RESOLA mission. Here PV panels with a complete output of 194 kilowatts are put in at a top of 5 meters on a 0.3-hectare arable land close to Lake Constance. After two years of operation, the recorded measurements of this mission confirmed larger yields for 3 out of 4 crops (winter wheat, potatoes, clover grass, celery) grown below the APV system in comparison with reference space with out photo voltaic panels.
Celery benefited probably the most (+ 12% yield), whereas winter wheat confirmed a rise of three % and clover grass a minus of 8%. Based on the 2018 potato yield on 1-hectare land, the land use effectivity of the APV system (potato and PV) elevated to 186% per hectare.
The total objective of the mission “Model Region: Agrivoltaics for Baden-Württemberg” is to reply open questions in regards to the twin use of land for agriculture and solar energy technology. Pilot vegetation are being developed and inbuilt at present 13 totally different places. Each APV system is tailored for various fruit and berry crops, arable or grass to be able to assess the potential for totally different software areas and applied sciences in addition to to check promising design variants.
For instance, one of many techniques being researched is agrivoltaics for reforestation. The Model Region is among the largest agricultural analysis initiatives not solely in Germany however worldwide and includes many companions, pilot vegetation and varied technological strategies. The mission, which is able to run till the top of 2024, is funded by Baden-Württemberg’s State Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector, the State Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection, the State Ministry of Finance and the State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism.
The Kressbronn agrivoltaic system on Lake Constance was constructed on high of an current apple orchard. The measurements had been made within the final two years, permitting scientists to judge its efficiency since 2022.
Author: Oliver Hörnle
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