A European consortium including the French KiloWattsol, the German Fraunhofer ISE and the Norwegian Glint Solar wants to build a model to help solar developers identify suitable land and determine the potential impacts on agricultural yields and energy production.
May 7, 2024 Gwénaëlle Deboutte
French solar technical consultancy KiloWattsol, Norwegian software publisher Glint Solar, Danish developer Danish Renewables and German research institute Fraunhofer ISE have joined forces to set up a research project aimed at driving the adoption of agrivoltaism in Europe.
After a thorough review of all currently available scientific studies, the consortium’s goal is to develop “easy-to-use” software to help solar developers effectively identify land suitable for agri-PV. Integrated into the Glint Solar platform, the tool will support a series of crop combinations and photovoltaic systems, including an agrivoltaic mapping function, to enable them to design optimal layouts and assess potential impacts on agricultural yields and energy production. Several configurations will be integrated: solar panels on the ground, in a shade, with fixed inclination or on trackers.
In addition, the study, which is planned for two years and has a budget of 2 million euros, also includes a pilot plant to test the solutions under conditions in northern Europe. Finally, some of the research results may be published. “The consequences of climate change are increasingly serious and we have no choice but to contribute to the emergence of solar solutions where the surface area of the panels does more than produce electricity. The deployment of photovoltaic systems on agricultural land must help solve the problem, and not make it worse,” commented Xavier Daval, CEO of kiloWattsol.
In a joint press release, the stakeholders recall that the global challenges relate to a 50% increase in agricultural production and a 15% increase in water demand by 2050, to sustainably and equitably support the expected population growth of 9 billion inhabitants by this time. According to them, agrivoltaism, which creates synergies between agricultural and energy production, but also which makes it possible to reduce the water irrigation needs of plants, is therefore likely to play a crucial role in the future.
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