What is agrivoltaic?

The goal of applied agricultural research is to test out novel ideas that are as sustainable as they can be for the environment and for communities. One of the most potential uses for speeding the development of renewable energy is agrovoltaics. In fact, it uses agricultural land to collect solar energy without interfering with food production or using up soil.

It is already a method that is widely utilized in France and Germany. Despite its immense potential, Italy's system is currently somewhat constrained because of poorly worded legislation, a lack of incentives, and divergent viewpoints.

What is agrophotovoltaic technology?

It's also known as agrophotovoltaics, and it's still a rather uncommon hybrid industry. It actually occupies a middle ground between renewable energy and agriculture.

It entails using solar panels to generate renewable energy while preserving agricultural and animal husbandry's access to fertile land by combining the two pursuits.

What agrovoltaics is

is a system that integrates the production of agriculture and solar energy to optimize the amount of power produced from solar energy.

At the same time, the shadowing produced by the solar modules will boost agricultural productivity. Additionally, it helps to lessen crop thermal stress in this way.

It can fulfill both the demands for energy and food production because it is a hybrid system.

By using systems that, because of their technological and physical features, respect agricultural output, it is actually possible to create energy while sustaining direct land cultivation and/or animal keeping.

How agrovoltaics operate

About 5 m above the ground, free photovoltaic panels are positioned to spin along one or two axes at right angles to one another.

Each tracker, or set of panels, may hold up to 32 solar modules. These modules produce dynamic shade of between 15 and 27 percent of the farmland under them, which can be altered to suit the site's particular requirements.

The panels are moved by an electrical device so that they are constantly facing the sun, preventing them from casting shadows on one another.

Overall, compared to fixed photovoltaic systems, an output boost of up to 30% is realized.

What kind of solar energy?

This system uses solar panels placed on one or two axes to allow them to rotate during the day to the most advantageous position. It is known as a solar tracking system.

This increases the amount of power generated from solar sources while maintaining the availability of the underlying land for farming, agriculture, and other uses.

Benefits of agrovoltaics

Such a method provides a lot of benefits. Let's take a closer look at them below:

establishing shaded regions to shield crops from severe weather

enhancing farms' competitiveness by significantly lowering their energy expenses

achieving decarbonization objectives

a reduction in soil evaporation and the economic use of part of the abandoned farms

innovation in agricultural practices that make them more competitive and ecologically responsible

Negative aspects of agrovoltaics

Let's move on to the disadvantages now that we have seen the benefits:

hefty prices for design and implementation.

The cost of such a system is extremely high due to the need to adhere to technical specifications (height, tracker peculiarities, distance between modules, fixed or variable system, degree of shading of agricultural crops throughout the year, etc.) in order to make such structures suitable for agricultural use.

created with particular expertise. This is not a straightforward photovoltaic system installed on agricultural land; rather, it is an integrated and innovative project created and carried out through a collaboration between the agricultural operator and the electrical operator. This project has high operating costs because the panel system must be effectively maintained over time, and because it is dynamic, it must be constantly monitored.