Photovoltaics and Electrification in Agriculture

Abstract

The editorial introduces a Special Issue entitled “Photovoltaics and Electrification in Agriculture”. Agriculture requires not only tillage and fertilization but also water supply and, in some cases, heating and cooling. These needs go hand in hand with the use of energy, which, increasingly, is electrical energy. An option that has dropped a lot in price in recent years is photovoltaic energy. This type of energy has experienced an explosion in terms of its expansion worldwide and has been revealed as a viable solution to rapidly increase the electrical power of non-fossil origin. However, the use of panels must compete with the use of the soil for cultivation, and in many cases, it could displace the use of the soil for cultivation, something that would not be desirable either from a production point of view or from an ecological point of view. For this, a new concept of soil sharing for crops and energy production is being developed in what is called “agrovoltaics”. This shared production model is analyzed in this document. In addition, the electrification of agriculture allows the introduction of elements, such as sensors, the IoT, and intelligent control. The internet connection opens the doors to technologies such as those based on data, digital control, and what is called precision agriculture, both for cultivation in greenhouses and for regular cultivation. This would not be possible without an electrical energy source that allows powering the inter-connected elements, photovoltaics being the best candidate again. However, above all, we must not forget the issue of CO2 emissions due to the use of energy in agriculture. In this sense, photovoltaic energy can reduce the carbon footprint and provide one of the cheapest energy sources available. All these topics are analyzed in this Special Issue, focusing on photovoltaics and its uses and impact on agriculture.

How to reconcile renewable energy and agricultural production in a drying world

“…This drought attenuation potential will be especially relevant for drought prone countries with massive population growth and changing climate such as India where available land for food and energy production is getting increasingly sparse (Mahto et al, 2021). Agrivoltaics will not only be beneficial to attenuate climate change effects in regions already classified as arid but will also especially become relevant for regions that are experiencing an increasing shortage in water with an expected increased severity in the future, such as large parts of the Mediterranean Regions across the world (Figure 3; Muñoz‐García & Hernández‐Callejo, 2022).…”

“…Solar power, that is, the transformation of solar energy into electric energy via photovoltaics (PVs), is considered to be the most abundant source of renewable energy and is becoming, at the same time, more affordable—facts that favour the global expansion of PV (Adeh et al, 2018; AL‐agele et al, 2021; Breyer et al, 2017; Muñoz‐García & Hernández‐Callejo, 2022). However, the installation of PV on open space directly competes with other forms of land use.…”

Open-Field Agrivoltaic System Impacts on Photothermal Environment and Light Environment Simulation Analysis in Eastern China

“…The average of daily daylighting rate of each measurement point during the whole recording period is described as the average daylighting rate (R m-avg ). The R m-d and R m-avg are used as the evaluation index of the internal light environment of the OAVS, and calculated according to Equations ( 1) and (2).…”

“…The open-field agrivoltaic system (OAVS) is a modern integrated agricultural production system which combines PV power generation and agricultural production [1,2]. Under the condition that agricultural land and agricultural production are not affected, it can improve the efficiency of land use, which is of great significance to the development Agronomy 2023, 13, 1820 2 of 19 of the PV industry and the transformation of modern agriculture [3,4].…”

“…The novelties of this study are as follows: (1) Combined with the sensor configuration strategy and spatial structure characteristics, the change rule of the photothermal environment in different areas inside the OAVS in the summer and winter is quantified. (2) The OAVS light environment model is established, revealing the spatial and temporal scales system interior light environment distribution characteristics.…”