Agrivoltaics

Researchers have conducted a field study across two growing seasons, growing different kinds of vegetables under three types of modules with 40%, 5%, and 0% transparency. Their work is the first replicated research experiment that evaluates module transparency in an irrigated vegetable field setting.

The choice between distributed and utility-scale solar often comes down to balancing these benefits based on the specific context, goals, and constraints of a project or region. In the Indian context, a balanced approach that leverages the strengths of both models is essential.

Indian researchers have compared the performance of an agrivoltaic system to monofacial and bifacial rooftop PV systems, and have found that the agrivoltaics setup had a shorter payback time and lower levelized cost of energy. Their analysis of performance considered panel temperature, power output, land equivalent ratio, and reliability.

National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) expects budget to accelerate renewable energy uptake across MSMEs and hard-to-abate industrial sectors.

Oriana Power has secured the order to set up a 25 MWp agrivoltaic plant for offtake by a real estate developer under group net metering policy in Delhi. This project is set to become the largest agrivoltaic installation in India, combining solar power generation with large-scale farming.

Agri-Light has launched its first pilot agrivoltaic project, using a two-axis solar installation on a rail system to move solar panels horizontally above a vineyard in the Negev Desert. The results are due this summer, and the company plans to build commercial projects in Israel and Spain next year.

A new report says that while the national-level transition towards clean electricity is progressing well in India, it is far more uneven at the state level. It highlights the need for states to strengthen regulatory frameworks and develop transition plans.

The state of Punjab has a potential for around 871 GWp of agrivoltaics. It is followed by Haryana (700 GWp) and Rajasthan (592 GWp).

New research from Italy shows lower wheat production under elevated agrivoltaic systems, but a simultaneous increase in nutritional value for livestock. pv magazine Italy spoke with the academics about their future research.

A Spanish group of researchers has investigated how much agricultural production may be hosted by existing ground-mounted PV plants using dual-axis trackers. They outlined a new methodology that reportedly enables to quantify how much space around and beneath the panels can be uses for agricultural purposes.