Agrivoltaics Double harvest for sustainable agriculture
Agrivoltaics are
tomorrow's agriculture
The innovative Agri-PV from AgroSolar Europe intelligently combines agriculture with renewable power generation. For this purpose, solar modules for electricity generation are erected above and between agricultural areas in such a way that they can continue to be farmed profitably.
A real win-win situation that benefits not only the climate and security of supply, but also farmers: This is because the “double harvest” enables income diversification and thus contributes to the sustainable strengthening of farms and rural areas.
Good for the climate - good for the soil
The weather extremes and their consequences are already being felt in many places – especially in the agricultural sector. This is because climatic changes and weather extremes are making it more difficult to grow food, while population growth is increasing demand. At the same time, the demand for renewable energy such as solar power is growing worldwide.
The problem: Large areas of land are needed both for agriculture and for the construction of conventional photovoltaic systems. As a result, agriculture and solar energy have so far often been in competition with each other.
Agrivoltaics from AgroSolar Europe are an innovative and practical solution to this problem. This is because they remove the competition for land between food and energy harvests and even enable a significant increase in land use efficiency – currently up to 186 %.
Individual like nature:
Our agrivoltaic system types
The requirements of farms are as varied as the needs that crops have for soils and microclimates: For example, a vineyard or an orchard has different management requirements than a potato field of several hectares.
That is why AgroSolar Europe has developed different Agri-PV systems that can be optimally adapted to the respective conditions. Among other things, the size of the area, the plant species grown and the geological conditions are taken into account.
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Healthy growth
for plants and farms
For most fruit and vegetable plants, our Agri-PV offers the best conditions for healthy growth. This is because the partial roofing by the solar modules provides protection against too much heat and solar radiation as well as hail, frost and drought damage. In addition, the soils can store a greater amount of water, which has a positive effect on crop yields, especially for shade crops and in dry regions, and reduces the need for irrigation by up to 20%. At the same time, more CO2 can be bound in the soil through an increased humus content, which opens up an additional source of income through future certificate trading.
Agri-PV advantages
for agriculture
Each agri-photovoltaic system is individually and flexibly adaptable – among other things, to the size of the area, the cultivated plant species and the geological conditions.
Agri-PV protects plants and crops from weather extremes such as heat, drought, heavy rain, hail and wind.
Agricultural machines in different sizes can be used as usual under the agri-photovoltaic systems.
The irrigation requirement of agricultural land is reduced by up to 20 percent, and the water storage capacity of the soil is increased.
Carbon farming: With Agri- PV, humus can be built up in a controlled way, which reduces fertiliser consumption and enables more CO2 to be stored in the soil.
The use of Agri-PV promotes crop yields and thus enables higher income for the farm.
Flexible and profitable: In addition to investing in its own system, AgroSolar Europe also offers a lease model, so that the farm has no expense whatsoever with the construction and supply marketing.
The future trade in CO2 certificates opens up another source of income for farms.
In addition to the existing “trackers” for automatic alignment of the Agri-PV modules, integrated systems are planned for the use of storage technologies and irrigation techniques, as well as the integration of robotics and automation processes.
Fully deconstructable: Our Spinnanker-technology for the substructure is modeled after a tree root.
Visions and innovations for a climate-friendly future
Together with innovative players from the agricultural sector and in collaboration with our development center in Trins, Austria, we are constantly developing our agrivoltaics, which are tailored to the needs of the agricultural industry. Through constant exchange with farms and the solar industry, we are perfecting our systems – for a sustainable, climate-friendly future and safe food and electricity supply.
