Agrivoltaic, a Synergistic Co-Location of Agricultural and Energy Production in Perpetual Mutation: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Agrivoltaic systems, which consist of the combination of energy production by means of photovoltaic systems and agricultural production in the same area, have emerged as a promising solution to the constraints related to the reduction in cultivated areas due to solar panels used in agricultural production systems. They also enable optimization of land use and reduction in conflicts over land access, in order to meet the increasing demand for agricultural products and energy resulting from rapid population growth. However, the selected installation configurations, such as elevation, spacing, tilt, and choice of panel technology used, can have a negative impact on agricultural and/or energy production. Thus, this paper addresses the need for a review that provides a clear explanation of agrivoltaics, including the factors that impact agricultural and energy production in agrivoltaic systems, types of panel configurations and technologies to optimize these systems, and a synthesis of modelling studies which have already been conducted in this area. Several studies have been carried out in this field to find the appropriate mounting height and spacing of the solar panels that optimize crop yields, as this later can be reduced by the shade created with the solar panels on the plants. It was reported that yields have been reduced by 62% to 3% for more than 80% of the tested crops. To this end, an optimization model can be developed to determine the optimal elevation, spacing, and tilt angle of the solar panels. This model would take into account factors that influence crop growth and yield, as well as factors that affect the performance of the photovoltaic system, with the goal of maximizing both crop yield and energy production.

Fruit Crop Species with Agrivoltaic Systems: A Critical Review

“…), eligible AV projects require an overhead configuration with a minimum above-ground height of 2 m to allow for the cultivation of tree species and essential agricultural (machinery) operations. From the prospective of engineering features, three horizontal schemes have been generally tested: static tilted, full-sun tracking, and agronomic tracking [35,40]. Ali Khan Niazi et al [41] conducted a comparative study on photovoltaic configurations with an opaque bifacial structure (fixed size of the PV modules, and pitch = 6 m) and clearly analyzed the differences between the first two setups mentioned (Figure 2).…”

“…Assuming a standardized size of the panels, the pitch size (inter-row space) determines three conventional density types: full (pitch = 2), half (pitch = 4), and one-third (pitch = 6). From the prospective of engineering features, three horizontal schemes have been generally tested: static tilted, full-sun tracking, and agronomic tracking [35,40]. Ali Khan Niazi et al [41] conducted a comparative study on photovoltaic configurations with an opaque bifacial structure (fixed size of the PV modules, and pitch = 6 m) and clearly analyzed the differences between the first two setups mentioned (Figure 2).…”

“…Ali Khan Niazi et al [41] conducted a comparative study on photovoltaic configurations with an opaque bifacial structure (fixed size of the PV modules, and pitch = 6 m) and clearly analyzed the differences between the first two setups mentioned (Figure 2). The static setup casts a distinct pattern of stripes with a high level of shade intensity (only ∼ =56% of the incident radiation on the ground, pitch = 6 m) [40]. Furthermore, the distribution of the irradiance over the field shows heterogeneity in both space and time, with significantly lower light underneath the PV modules as compared to the inter-row open space [41,42].…”

Optimal Location of Solar Photovoltaic Plants Using Geographic Information Systems and Multi-Criteria Analysis

“…Solar photovoltaic technology has been the fastest growing renewable energy source in recent years as a result of the increased efficiency of photovoltaic cells, reduced manufacturing costs, ease of installation, and applicability in different environments [11]. According to the data, the installed capacity of solar photovoltaic energy has grown from 70 GW in 2011 to 942 GW by 2021 [12].…”

Assessment of the Ground Coverage Ratio of AgriVoltaic systems as a proxy for potential crop productivity

“…Sarr et al (2023) orMoreda et al (2021). The latter assumed for example that maize would maintain its yield under PV panels, following the experiment bySekiyama and Nagashima (2019).…”