Agrivoltaics: The future of agriculture or just a trend?

Agrivoltaics: The future of agriculture or just a trend?

The expansion of renewable energies plays a central role in the current discussion about climate protection and resource conservation. Solar power has established itself as an environmentally friendly energy source, but requires considerable space. However, many citizens find solar parks unattractive, especially when agricultural land is involved. A promising alternative that combines both agricultural benefits and energy production is agrivoltaics, in which solar panels are installed on already used arable and grassland.

Hendrik Zeddies from the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn emphasizes that although agricultural yields can be reduced through agrivoltaics, positive synergies can also be created at the same time. For example, solar panels provide protection from hail and excessive sunlight. This could increase the acceptance of agrivoltaics among the population, which is supported by a new study. Loud uni-bonn.de Many Germans have a deplorable view of conventional solar parks, while agrivoltaics are perceived as having less of an impact on the landscape.

Results of the survey on agrivoltaics

The study mentioned is based on an online survey with almost 2,000 participants from Germany, who were selected to be representative in terms of age, gender, level of education, income and federal state. Respondents received information about the advantages and disadvantages of agrivoltaics compared to traditional solar farms. It showed that almost 44% of participants would be willing to pay more for agrivoltaic electricity. For conventional solar parks, this number would only be 29%. In addition, willingness to support agrivoltaics is lower, with only 2.9% of respondents who would consider financial measures to prevent agrivoltaics.

Prof. Dr. In this context, Matin Qaim pointed out that the survey was hypothetical. No real financial decisions were made. Nevertheless, if the right framework conditions are created, agrivoltaics could play a central role in the expansion of environmentally friendly energy without causing major conflicts with the population.

Farmers' interest in photovoltaic systems

photovoltaik.eu The majority of farmers plan to invest in photovoltaic systems or support their construction, provided that agricultural use remains possible. 83% of those surveyed are full-time businesses with an agricultural area of ​​between 100 and 200 hectares, with 75% already having solar systems on roofs.

Over half of the farmers surveyed show interest in setting up ground-mounted PV systems. A third will consider investments if agricultural management is guaranteed after installation. Agrivoltaics is particularly valued for its crop production benefits. Farmers see opportunities for optimization through the use of semi-transparent modules or tracker systems, which make both traffic and agricultural use easier.

Challenges and perspectives

Despite the great interest, there are concerns about the business aspects and the bureaucratic effort. Further surveys have shown that self-consumption of solar power is less important for many farmers; Rather, the focus is on full feed-in. For livestock farms, however, own consumption is more important in order to reduce energy costs.

The successful implementation of agrivoltaics also requires the early involvement of local citizens. Efficient land use, reduced water consumption in agriculture and additional, stable sources of income are some of the benefits that agrivoltaics can offer, as stated in a report by the Fraunhofer ISE is explained. However, in order to exploit the full potential of agrivoltaics, further information on the legal framework and support in the implementation of solar systems are necessary.

Overall, these developments show that agrivoltaics not only represents a way to increase renewable energy, but could also be a potential model for future agriculture that combines economic and environmental interests.