Designing plant–transparent agrivoltaics

Abstract

Covering greenhouses and agricultural fields with photovoltaics has the potential to create multipurpose agricultural systems that generate revenue through conventional crop production as well as sustainable electrical energy. In this work, we evaluate the effects of wavelength-selective cutoffs of visible and near-infrared (biologically active) radiation using transparent photovoltaic (TPV) absorbers on the growth of three diverse, representative, and economically important crops: petunia, basil, and tomato. Despite the differences in TPV harvester absorption spectra, photon transmission of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; 400–700 nm) is the most dominant predictor of crop yield and quality. This indicates that different wavebands of blue, red, and green are essentially equally important to these plants. When the average photosynthetic daily light integral is > 12 mol m–2 d–1, basil and petunia yield and quality is acceptable for commercial production. However, even modest decreases in TPV transmission of PAR reduces tomato growth and fruit yield. These results identify crop-specific design requirements that exist for TPV harvester transmission and the necessity to maximize transmission of PAR to create the most broadly applicable TPV greenhouse harvesters for diverse crops and geographic locations. We determine that the deployment of 10% power conversion efficiency (PCE) plant-optimized TPVs over approximately 10% of total agricultural and pasture land in the U.S. would generate 7 TW, nearly double the entire energy demand of the U.S.

Growth and Leaf Color of Coleus under Light Conditions Modified by Translucent Agrivoltaic Panels and Light-Emitting Diodes in a Greenhouse

“…Installing agrivoltaic systems, which are photovoltaic systems used in farmlands and greenhouses, can help improve farmers' income by generating electricity and increasing crop production [1]. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained prominence as substitutes for crystalline silicon solar cells for harnessing sunlight, a renewable energy source, to generate electricity [2][3][4].…”

“…Furthermore, they can be applied to curved surfaces and have the potential to supplement windows in buildings [5]. When DSSCs are installed in horticultural greenhouses, the amount of sunlight required for plant growth remains at a specific level [1,6]. The electricity generated can be utilized to operate a greenhouse.…”

“…The electricity generated can be utilized to operate a greenhouse. However, the quality of the sunlight transmitted varies depending on the color of the dye [1,7]. Therefore, it is crucial to precisely determine the light conditions in greenhouses owing to DSSCs and apply them to plant cultivation.…”