What is it?
Agrivoltaics, also known as solar sharing, is a system that combines agricultural activities with the generation of solar energy on the same land. It involves integrating solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with crops or livestock farming in a mutually beneficial way.
Why is it important?
By combining solar energy production with agriculture, agrivoltaics allows for more efficient use of land resources, maximizing the productivity of a given area. In some cases, the partial shading provided by solar panels can benefit certain crops by reducing water evaporation, protecting plants from excessive heat, and creating a microclimate that can improve growth conditions. Agrivoltaics allows farmers to generate revenue from both agricultural produce and renewable energy production, providing an additional income stream and potentially increasing overall profitability. The combination of agriculture and solar energy can create synergistic benefits, such as using the solar panels for rainwater harvesting or utilizing the agricultural byproducts for on-site energy generation. Agrivoltaics promotes sustainable land use by combining renewable energy generation with food production, contributing to both energy security and food security.
What industries will it impact?
Agriculture, Solar energy, Food production and security.
Market players
Brite Solar, H2arvester, Insolight.