According to research published earlier this year in the journal Progress in Photovoltaics, Europe has the potential to use 51 TW of agriculture-related photovoltaics, or agrovoltaics.
Taking into account both electricity production and agricultural potential, the researchers found that 51TW of agrovoltaic capacity could be realized across Europe, equivalent to 71,500TWh per year – 25 times the current electricity demand of the Old Continent – if all possible areas were used.
Three agrovoltaic configurations were considered in the study: monofacial modules suspended above agricultural land, single-axis monofacial modules equipped with tracking devices that change their angle during the day, and vertical bifacial modules arranged in fence-like rows.
The conclusion for the 51TW is based on a field test scenario in Denmark and then extrapolated mathematically to model the rest of Europe. The optimal capacity density of agrovoltaics is around 30 W per square meter, as it allows at least 80% of the land to remain usable for growing crops.
The results were unevenly distributed across the continent, and the penetration potential of agrovoltaics ranged from just 1% of usable land in Norway to 53% in Denmark. Lower latitudes also tend to offer greater solar radiation and greater energy production.
Keeping electricity and agricultural production on the same piece of land is key to agrovoltaics, and this practice has the potential to assuage many of the concerns facing the PV and agricultural industries related to usable land, food and energy security, local community opposition and nimism, and the wider climate crisis.
Of the module configurations, single-axis tracking seemed the most promising, but also the most expensive. Single-axis tracking modules and vertical modules were found to offer the most stable levels of sunlight reaching the ground, and tracking also offered the highest electricity production . Not surprisingly, fixed-tilt units create clear bands of shade across the ground and can affect crop production, while being less optimized for consistent production throughout the day.
Agrivoltaics can offer benefits for both crop production and electricity generation, and many growers are striving to achieve a balance between photosynthesis and photovoltaics to optimize land use efficiently. The most obvious and primary concern is the common land itself and the greater practical and economic benefit that can be achieved from producing food and electricity on the same area.
In addition, PV modules can provide shading and shelter in dry climates to facilitate irrigation and water retention, supporting more vibrant ecosystems below. Crops under or adjacent to the panels can also increase their efficiency by cooling the system by releasing water vapor.
PV Tech Premium publishes a more in-depth overview of the benefits and challenges of agro-voltaic, as well as an overview of some global markets and a focus piece on the problems of 'false narratives' about the use of land for photovoltaic purposes.
