Project

Agrivoltaics

Lead Institute AT Institute of Agricultural Technology

Agrivoltaics: Towards synergetic productions of food and energy

Background and Objective

Agrivoltiacs (Agri-PV) combines agricultural production with renewable electricity production on the same area. The aim is to develop practicable concepts that support the energy independence of farms and at the same time can be utilised in a production-integrated manner. In addition to technical implementation, the focus is on agronomic evaluation: shading and microclimate effects, effects on crop cultivation and the use of autonomous machines are being investigated. Questions relating to the adaptation of operational processes, resource efficiency and system integration also take centre stage. The aim is to better understand and utilise potential synergies. Agri-PV should not only contribute to security of supply, but also to the resilience and climate adaptation of agricultural systems. To this end, different forms of operation are taken into account and site-specific solutions are sought.

Approach

The energy requirements of various agricultural operations are systematically determined and quantified using in-house modelling. On this basis, site and farm type-specific potentials for electricity production through agrivoltaics are determined. The aim is to define requirements for storage and power capacities in such a way as to enable the most energy-autonomous operation possible. The concepts developed will be tested in field trials using autonomous machines and evaluated in terms of both technical feasibility and the impact on crop production. In order to minimise yield losses due to shading, additional measures such as LED supplementary lighting from the vertical farming sector are being investigated for their suitability in agrivoltaics systems.