Agrivoltaics: How to Achieve Double Profit from 1 Hectare

The innovative technology of agrivoltaics opens new opportunities for farmers, allowing them to combine the cultivation of crops with solar energy production on the same land. This solution is particularly relevant for Ukraine’s agricultural sector, which faces climate challenges and energy instability.

This is reported by AgroReview

How Agrivoltaics Works: How Solar Panels Benefit Crops

At the core of the agrivoltaics concept is optimal management of sunlight. Most crops have their “light saturation point” — a level of illumination beyond which additional light does not increase the efficiency of photosynthesis but instead leads to overheating and stress for the plants. Installing solar panels above crops allows for the excess sunlight to be cut off, converting it into electricity, while also creating a favorable microclimate beneath the panels. As a result, the temperature near the soil decreases, and moisture is retained longer.

Benefits for Different Crops: Increased Yields and Resource Savings

Research from the past two years confirms that agrivoltaic systems not only do not diminish yields but also improve the quality characteristics of the products. In particular:

• Berry crops (blueberries, raspberries): receive protection from ultraviolet burns, leading to larger berry sizes and extended fruiting periods.
• Vegetable crops (lettuce, tomatoes): reduce the amount of water needed for irrigation by 25-30%.
• Forage grasses: increase protein content due to milder temperature conditions under the panels.

Additionally, agrivoltaics provides extra resilience against weather adversities and allows for more efficient land use.

Modern Solutions for Agrivoltaics: Structures and Efficiency

The modern market offers three main types of agrivoltaic structures:

1. Tall stationary farms: solar modules are installed at a height of about 4 meters, allowing agricultural machinery to move freely underneath them.
2. Dynamic trackers: panels can change their tilt angle depending on solar activity or the light needs of the plants, and can also open during rain to provide natural irrigation.
3. Vertical bifacial panels: are installed in rows with large spacing (8-12 meters), allowing for the cultivation of even cereal crops and reducing shading.

A key indicator of the efficiency of agrivoltaics is LUE (Land Use Efficiency) — the coefficient of land use efficiency. A traditional solar power plant or a regular field has an LUE of 1.0. For agrivoltaic systems, this figure reaches 1.6-1.8, meaning that 100 hectares of such a combined area generate as much agricultural produce and electricity as 160-180 hectares of separate fields and solar stations.

“Installing panels above crops allows for the excess to be cut off, converting it into electricity while creating an optimal microclimate under the structure. The panels act as a dynamic screen, lowering the temperature of the near-surface air and retaining soil moisture.”

Additional Advantages of Agrivoltaics:

• Symbiosis of agriculture and solar energy on the same area.
• Self-cooling of panels due to moisture evaporation from plants, increasing their efficiency by 5-8°C compared to ground-mounted stations.
• Protection of crops from hail, strong winds, and excessive evaporation, serving as a stationary agro-protection function.
• Increased economic returns from each hectare due to multifunctional land use.