SolarEdge is working with Scania Regional Council to develop a concept for agrivoltaics, enabling the production of solar energy and agricultural crops on the same land.

Sites currently under evaluation for a trial installation.

SolarEdge, a leading provider of DC-optimized solar inverter technology in Sweden and globally, has entered into a collaboration with Scania Regional Council in the south of Sweden to explore the potential of agrivoltaics (Agri-PV), the combined production of solar energy and agricultural crops on the same land.

Agri-PV is a growing trend internationally and Scania Regional Council aims to investigate how this could be utilized in Sweden. The intention is to establish an experimental plant where the effectiveness of Agri-PV under Swedish conditions can be researched. Sites are currently being evaluated for the construction of an experimental facility.

“In Scania County, we have a high demand for land use, with food production being very important. We want to find new ways to use the land in the most efficient way,” says Tove Zellman at Scania Regional Council, the project manager for the trial.

The test facility will be used to establish how solar sytem design and technology impacts both crop and solar energy production. Three methods of mounting solar panels are planned at the site: vertical mounting with landscape panels, vertical mounting with portrait panels, and mounting with trackers which alter the position of solar panels throughout the day to follow the movement of the sun across the sky.

It will also trial the effectiveness of SolarEdge’s inverter solution to increase energy production from Agri-PV installations. The SolarEdge system uses Power Optimizers to enable individual solar panels to produce at their maximum level regardless of orientation, shade or soiling.

“There are many innovative ways to install solar that will have a positive impact on agricultural production. For example, solar panels can be elevated, so that the crops can fit underneath, providing protection from the effects of wind, heavy rainfall and vast exposure to the sun while also helping to maintain soil moisture. However, unlocking this potential relies on having the right technology in place,” says Daniel Sjödin, SolarEdge’s Country Manager for Sweden.

“It is highly likely that solar panels will become soiled with dust when used in Agri-PV, as a result of agricultural machinery driving in between the rows of crops. For this reason, we believe that using individually optimized and monitored panels to maximize energy production can be a great advantage here. With traditional technology, all panels connected on the same string will only produce at the level of the lowest producing unit.

”Another advantage of this technology is greater design flexibility. This allows solar panels to be installed on uneven ground – an important consideration when calculating ROI,” Daniel Sjödin adds.

“The plan is to design a physical testbed to investigate in reality how agriculture and solar power production can be effectively combined, says Tove Zellman.

She continues: ”We want to spread knowledge to stakeholders in the public sector and industry who work with energy, food and agricultural issues, with suggestions as to how the conflict of interest between food production and solar power on Scania County’s agricultural land can be managed.”
www.solaredge.com

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