Agrivoltaics
Power to the Future of Farming: Agrivoltaics
By Sophie Ngyuen, Remote Energy Intern
What is agrivoltaics?
Agrivoltaics is the practice of combining agriculture with solar energy on the same land. It’s a way for plants and solar panels to share the same resources, while mutually benefiting each other.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Agrivoltaics offers several advantages that make it an appealing solution for sustainable land use. From an ecological standpoint, agrivoltaics could have several revenue benefits, including higher crop yields, lower utility bills, and leasing land to solar energy companies for a second income. Agrivoltaics provides solutions for less land use competition between farmers and solar energy companies. Depending on the crop, solar panels and the plants can also mutually benefit each other. The solar panels can provide partial shade which would potentially prevent plants from drying out, and reduce water usage. The plants create a cool microclimate under the solar panels, which allows for them to produce more electricity because solar panels are more efficient at cooler temperatures.
Although agrivoltaics has many promising advantages, it also has its drawbacks. In comparison to roof mounted PV systems, ground mounted agrivoltaic systems can cost more. For instance, they may need more complex mounting systems, steel foundations, and potentially panels resistant to adverse weather conditions such as high winds.
Who is Benefiting from Agrivoltaics?
Agrivoltaics can economically benefit farmers, solar energy companies, governments, and consumers. Farmers can gain an additional source of income by leasing out their land to solar energy companies. Solar companies can benefit from less maintenance costs as farmers will be taking care of the land. Governments benefit from agrivoltaics because it promotes more sustainable farming and land use, which can align with environmental goals which can allow for more money to go back into the community. Additionally, agrivoltaics supports clean energy production while making efficient use of land by serving dual purposes, helping meet policy targets for sustainability and energy. Local communities are able to also benefit too as agrivoltaics supports cleaner energy, stronger local food businesses, and more sustainable land use overall.
Who is Using This?
Agrivoltaics is being used all around the world. From livestock farming to fisheries, agrivoltaics is helping to combine food production with renewable energy in innovative ways, improving land use efficiency and sustainable development.