Design and Assessment of Agrivoltaics Systems for Energy Cane Farms in Texas

Thesis: Design and Assessment of Agrivoltaics Systems for Energy Cane Farms in TexasThesis/Dissertation

Abstract

Due to climate change, natural disasters, and other unexpected events, such as the COVID- 19 pandemic, farmers in Texas are facing the difficult task of maintaining a profit from their agriculture business. The concept of agrivoltaics creates a system that integrates renewable energy generation and agriculture with one another. This allows farmers to continue receiving income through their agricultural business while providing energy resilience through an environmentally friendly approach. This project evaluates the potential of implementing an agrivoltaic system using solar panels in an energy cane farm located in Weslaco, Texas. The biomass crop is of interest for an agrivoltaic system as it is low input and is drought resistant. Various databases and industry standards are implemented to optimize and design the agrivoltaics system. Data collected from the energy cane farm in Weslaco, Texas is used throughout the project and aid in creating a maintenance schedule for the agrivoltaics system. Additionally, software such as HomerPro, SolidWorks, and MATLAB are used throughout the process to aid the optimization efforts of the system. The final conceptual design increased the vertical mobility of the structure by integrating a pulley system. The sensitivity analysis of the agrivoltaics system in an energy cane farm showed that increasing shading density decreased the dry biomass yield, but the optimal shading density for maximizing energy production depended on the potential for selling surplus energy to the grid and the local cost of electricity.

Contains a model

Contains novel data

Topics

Plant Science

Plant productivity and yields

Economics

Configuration/Climate/Crop analysis

PV Technologies

Impact on energy generation

System Configuration

Heights/spacing/layouts
Alternative racking designs
Tracking algorithms
Compatibility with farming

Agrivoltaic Activity: Crop Production

Author: ERICK MARTINEZ GOMEZ

Organization: Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Published

: Publisher Not Provided, 05/2023

DOI: Not Provided
Check for DOI availability: http://crossref.org
Online: Internet link for Design and Assessment of Agrivoltaics Systems for Energy Cane Farms in Texas

Citation

ERICK MARTINEZ GOMEZ. 05/2023. Design and Assessment of Agrivoltaics Systems for Energy Cane Farms in Texas [Thesis]. [Texas]: Texas A&M University-Kingsville.