German renewables company BayWa r.e. AG has launched four research-oriented agri-voltaic projects in Europe, installing some 685 kWp of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in orchards in the Netherlands, Austria and Germany.
The “fruit-voltaic” systems are pilot projects involving research institutes in each country that will monitor variables such as plant health, growth and production, while reducing waste associated with plastic foil, BayWa r.e. said.
In the Netherlands, the firm worked with its Dutch subsidiary GroenLeven to build two agri-voltaic research facilities in the villages of Enspijk and Randwijk in the central part of the country. The PV systems have a capacity of 105 kWp and 125 kWp and are combined with cherries and pears. The Fruit Tech Campus and the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) will each monitor one of the pilots.
In Austria, BayWa r.e. and its subsidiary ECOWind finalised the installation of a 340-kWp pilot for stone and pome fruit alongside the Haidegg research facility in Graz.
The fourth fruit-voltaic system was set up in Oedheim, southern Germany. There, BayWa r.e. and MKG GOBEL installed a 115-kWp structure with a light transmittance of approximately 70 % and rainproof construction above a raspberry field. The research institute for Viticulture and fruit growing Weinsberg (LVWO) will monitor the quality of the fruit below the PV modules, BayWa r.e. said.
The Dutch government, the federal state of Styria in Austria and the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg funded the projects.
“We are experiencing a great demand for our Agri-PV solutions, because it brings PV expansion in line with agriculture and nature conservation. For these synergies to be leveraged between the sectors, technical adaptation of the PV generator is required, resulting in higher costs", said Stephan Schindele, Head of Product Management Agri-PV at BayWa r.e..
"Unfortunately, in many markets, the political course has not yet been set to serve this potential and demand. In collaboration with the scientific community, we will demonstrate that it is socially, environmentally and economically worthwhile to support Agri-PV,” Schindele added.
The renewables firm developed and installed 15 agri-PV projects in the EU by the end of 2022. In 2023, it will build its first agri-PV projects outside the bloc and add the so-called “rangevoltaic” applications to its portfolio, which will combine cow and sheep raising with PV.
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Agri-PV pilot at a raspberry field in Oedheim, Germany. Copyright: MKG GÖBEL. Image source: BayWa r.e. (handout)
