Agrivoltaic System: A Possible Synergy Between Agriculture and Solar Energy

Thesis: Agrivoltaic System: A Possible Synergy Between Agriculture and Solar EnergyThesis/Dissertation

Abstract

The development of photovoltaic energy requires a lot of land. To maximize the land use, agrivoltaic systems that combine an agricultural and an electrical production on the same land unit are developed. A demonstrator was built in Montpellier (France) with different experimental arrangements to study the impact of a fixed and a dynamic solutions on the crops below the panels. The effect of shade on lettuces appears to be positive with a Land Equivalent Ratio greater than 1. To extend the experiment to other crops, the crop species best adapted to the agrivoltaic system are identified. The shade tolerance and vulnerability to climate change are key parameters to select crops that will benefit the most from the installation of PV panels. The SWOT analysis brings out that agrivoltaic systems can be a solution to maximize the land use and to adapt crops to climate change. The technical constraints imposed by the PV structure must be overcome to deploy this technology on a large scale. The greatest threat lies in the non-acceptability of the projects by farmers and the chambers of agriculture. An agrivoltaic project was developed in the South of France as a first testing area but was finally abandoned because of too important reciprocal constraints for the farmer and the operator.

Topics

Reviews/Informational

Agrivoltaic Activity: Crop Production, Greenhouse

Authors: D. Santos and C.N. Lolita

Organizations: KTH and School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM)

Published

Publisher Not Provided, 2020

DOI: Not Provided
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Online: Internet link for Agrivoltaic System: A Possible Synergy Between Agriculture and Solar Energy

Citation

D. Santos, C.N. Lolita. 2020. Agrivoltaic System: A Possible Synergy Between Agriculture and Solar Energy [Thesis]. [Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet]: KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM).