Agrivoltaics

BayWa r.e. and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have built a 258 kW agrivoltaic system that hosts apple cultivation under four different crop protection systems. The system utilizes agrivoltaic technology with permanent, light-permeable PV modules that block rain, and tracking PV module tech that blocks rain only if necessary.

India will require large swaths of land for the huge expansion of renewable energy capacity over the coming decades. The energy transition requires planning for proper siting of these plants and solutions like agrivoltaics, distributed energy systems, and offshore wind to reduce land-use conflicts.

The agrivoltaic project was commissioned for Gro Solar Energy under the state government’s Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana. It uses 30,300 Panasonic solar modules and string inverters, and occupies a land area of 50 acres.

EPC contractors now have until May 19 to lodge their interest in setting up the grid-connected solar capacity—including 40 MW conventional ground-based and 10 MW agrivoltaics. The PV projects shall come up in Cuddalore and Tiruvannamalai districts.

Enel Green Power is combining existing PV arrays with agriculture at nine pilot sites in Europe. pv magazine recently spoke to Giovanni Tula, the company’s head of sustainability, about the business model and its replicability.

Bidders have until March 1 to bid for setting up the cumulative grid-connected solar PV capacity—including 40 MW conventional ground-based and 10 MW agrivoltaics—in Cuddalore and Tiruvannamalai districts.