Agrivoltaics is a growing sector, led by China, and it is a way in which a high degree of sustainable energy can be generated without taking a valuable country for food production.
Agrivoltaics works best, either for special crops, such as blueberries, or for arable industry, which includes large -scale agriculture. Matthew Berwind, a team leader who focuses on PV system simulation in large-scale solar energy plants in the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems Isee In Germany, comments about specialist crops: “These types of crops need a lot of weather protection. In traditional agriculture they are often located in a large plastic tunnel, or, if we talk about outdoor berry cultivation, some hail or weather-secured nets made of plastic. So why not these sources of plastic can be replaced by solar panels?” He adds: “We look at max one to two hectares for an Apple orchard, and maybe you can fit a megawatt of solar energy on top of that.”
Sensors can help, and also standards
Agrivoltaics still have a broader potential on larger land wheat or grass agriculture for Diervot. “The use of large pieces of land for the production of animal feed is an agricultural use case that seems to be very suitable for Agrivoltaics because grass is generally quite shadow tolerant. So building a number of vertical style structures that can seem higher performance per installed kilowatt,” he says.
A single axis on solar energy makes the movement of the PV panels in one direction, from east to west, possibly following the path from sunrise to sunset. Berwind explains: “A tracker with one axis is a standard technology in many places in the world, especially high radiation areas. In areas with little light they are less common.”
He continues: “If you find these combinations that work fairly well, where both sides of the barns photosynthesis and photovoltaïscheën-acting collaboration, that is a great value proposition that everyone wants to jump on. Throughout Europe, large commercial installations-50 MW systems in the field of utility programs diving.
Although sensors are not necessarily necessary to run these agrivoltaic systems, they can help, especially when farmers want to maximize their high -quality special crops. Berwind says that photosynthetically active radiation sensors can be extremely useful for use on large -scale projects. “You need to know that the trees are blooming, you need to know how much light is available, you need a number of photosynthetically active radiation sensors and you must have the option to control these PV trackers, which includes a large operating system and data analysis.”
IEC TC 47 Publishes important standards for the design, use and reuse of sensors, so that users can measure their performance. For example, it specifies the requirements for electricity interfaces for car sensors in IEC 62969-1. Whether this standard can be applied to agricultural tractors can still be seen. As part of the broad range of electronics it deals, it covers the IEC quality assessment system, Iecqenables the assessment of sensor manufacturers and associated service providers to see if they meet the agreed international standards.
Is there a need for new PV standards?
George Kelly, secretary of IEC TC 82The technical committee that prepares standards for PV systems says that his experts is not an urgent need to offer specific standards for Agrivoltaic solutions. “We have different working groups for the panels themselves and for the systems and the other components that go into the system. We assess our standards twice a year and ask:” Does anyone see a new or another standard or requirement? “And essentially there is no.
IEC TC 82 has developed around 200 standards for PV components such as modules, inverters, trackers and connectors, including for example, for example, IEC 61215 And IEC 61730 For PV modules. IEC 61724-1 Specifies radiation sensors. It also has standards for PV system design, for quality management systems for the construction of a PV energy plant and for inspection and testing.
The IEC Conformity Assessment System, IeceePerforms a program that offers access to qualified test laboratories for the certification of PV components and modules in accordance with these standards. Despite this flurry of existing standards, Berwind thinks that there are specific complexities with regard to Agrivoltaic Tech that may need to be tackled by standards in the longer run: “It is not only as easy if you build your standard PV system and then it is commercial and then the trade in the work of two large areas of the truth. The plants have a major problem for Agrivoltaics for tractors to have some detecting methods and that technology is still being developed.
Agrivoltaics can solve conflicts for land use
At first glance, tropical and semi-arid areas seem to be the most suitable for Agrivoltaïschens, but fewer sunny places such as Northern Europe can also benefit. Dr. Richard Randle-Boggis, a research scientist at Norway Sintefhas collaborated with Agrivoltaics in East Africa, Norway and a modeling project to assess the spatial potential for Agrivoltaics to tackle conflicts in land use in Great Britain. He says that each of these regions stands for different challenges that must be reflected in the design and implementation of technology. “Water loss and heat stress, for example, are major challenges for farmers in East Africa, and increased overhead agrivoltaic systems offer partial shade that can reduce these challenges.”
“In North Europe, on the other hand, the conflicts of land use are increasingly urgent,” he continues. “We must maintain agricultural land and farmers, and at the same time we also have to quickly use low-carbon energy technologies to reduce our dependence on harmful fossil fuels. Farmers and solar PV manufacturers and installers are the same in sunny areas. Conflict.
India is an example of a sun -drenched country that could benefit from Agrivoltaics. However, it is not that simple. Land in India has been grown by families and villages for hundreds of years and adding solar energy costs a lot of conviction.
In India, just like with European farms, it is the small to medium -sized special crop farmers who would benefit the most. “They get this increased income from the sale of the energy to the grid, and they have their agricultural operation that hopefully in many cases performs in the same way,” says Berwind. “The benefits are really with the smaller by the family managed or owned and operated systems, because if you scare things, the investment costs for the solar system are simply too high; if you are talking about a system in the field of Nuts scale, it is a huge industry.”
There are also reasons for countries such as India to move to Agrivoltaics. Tali Neesham-Mctiernan, Ph.D. student in the School of Geography, Development and Environment at the University of ArizonaInvestments Agrivoltaic systems as an extensive climate adjustment strategy for semi-arid regions. An area she looks at is how Agrivoltaic systems in India can reduce heat stress for agricultural employees; In other words, how the solar systems themselves can physically improve the working conditions for those underneath it.
Another application for Agrivoltaics – a promising technology with many existing standards, and probably new requirements, to spread it even more all over the world.
Author: Heather McLean
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a global, non-profit membership organization that brings together 174 countries and coordinates the work of 30,000 experts worldwide. IEC international standards and conformity assessment are based on international trade in electrical and electronic goods. They facilitate access to electricity and verify the safety, performance and interoperability of electrical and electronic devices and systems, including consumer devices such as mobile phones or refrigerators, office and medical equipment, information technology, electricity generation and much more.
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