Agrivoltaics

Sustainable symbiosis between agriculture and renewable energy

Agrivoltaics

Sustainable symbiosis between agriculture and renewable energy

Agrivoltaics

Sustainable symbiosis between agriculture and renewable energy

Opportunities and potential
Research project
Key facts
Three concepts
Important aspects and benefits
Challenges

Researching an innovative combination of agriculture and renewable energy

Agriculture worldwide is facing the challenge of adapting to the requirements of a more sustainable food production. At the same time, the production of renewable energy is becoming increasingly important in order to mitigate climate change and drive forward the energy transition.

This requires a large amount of land, including agricultural land. Agrivoltaics (Agri-PV) is an innovative solution that combines these objectives.

Agri-PV plants are solar systems that are installed on agricultural land. They combine the production of clean solar energy with agriculture and thus create a sustainable symbiosis.

Solar power and agriculture on the same field – RWE is investigating how this can work best in a demonstration plant in Germany’s Rhenish mining area – at the edge of the Garzweiler open-cast mine near Bedburg. The project is being scientifically supported by the Institute for Plant Sciences at Forschungszentrum Jülich (Jülich Research Centre) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. The research project is funded by the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia through the progres.nrw programme for climate protection and energy transition.

Opportunities and potential of an Agri-PV plant

The demonstration plant will help RWE to identify opportunities and get the best out of the technology as it is further developed. RWE wants to use the research project to clarify fundamental questions such as suitable crops or the optimal design of the PV systems. However, the project will also focus specifically on possible concepts for collaborating with the farmers. A solid foundation is needed in order to identify the full potential of Agri-PV.

A person with blonde hair is wearing a pink blazer and a white blouse. The background is bright and blurred, portrait of Katja Wünschel.
Katja Wünschel | Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Renewables Europe und Australia

“Land is a scarce resource. We must use it responsibly and efficiently. With the large number of sites needed for the expansion of solar energy, synergies like those offered by Agri-PV are extremely valuable. This concept makes it possible to bring in two different yields from the same land – solar power and agricultural production. With our demonstration plant in Bedburg we are providing important application research enabling us to utilise the full potential of this technology in the future.”

Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia

Funded research project with a lot of expertise

In September 2023, RWE officially launched the project in Germany for the first time in the presence of Frank Rock, Rhine-Erft County Commissioner, Sascha Solbach, Mayor of the City of Bedburg, and Prof Ulrich Schurr, Director of the Institute for Plant Sciences at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

After a construction period of just five months, RWE’s Agri-PV plant in Germany fed green electricity into the grid for the first time. The first crops were planted and sown in spring 2024. The research activities have begun begin in autumn 2024 and will run for at least five years. The demonstration plant has a peak capacity of 3.2 megawatts (approx. 2.5 MWac) and consists of three technical Agri-PV concepts, which allow for both agricultural and horticultural use of the land.

Five individuals in safety vests and helmets present an information poster about Agri-Photovoltaics in a sunny field.
RWE project manager Andreas Schulz, Rhine-Erft County Commissioner Frank Rock, Prof Ulrich Schurr, Katja Wünschel, Dr Lars Kulik, Mayor Sascha Solbach
Infographic showing an agrivoltaics demonstration plant with various solar panel systems for land efficiency.

Key facts about the demonstration plant in Germany

00 hectares

Land area

00 MWpeak

Capacity

00 different

Concepts

Approx. 00

Number of modules

00 years

Duration of research project

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Start of research activities

Three technical concepts – one location

Three different technical Agri-PV concepts are implemented in the research project, which enable both an arable and a horticultural use of the land. Alfafa and a mixture of clover and grass were sown on the first two plots (variants 1 and 2) in the first year of the trial. These plants prepare the soil for the cultivation of cereals, root crops and vegetables in the coming years, while raspberries are grown in pots on the third plot (variant 3).

A 3D illustration of a ground-mounted vertical system featuring solar panels and examples of crops.

Concept 1: Vertical modules with cultivation between the module rows

The solar modules are fixed and mounted vertically on the supporting structure. Enough space is left for harvesting machinery between the module rows allowing for the agricultural use of the land to be tested.

A ground-mounted solar tracker system with solar modules, substructure, and various agricultural crops illustrated.

Concept 2: Movable modules – following the course of the sun – with cultivation between the module rows

The solar modules are also installed in rows, but they are mounted on a movable axis, and follow the course of the sun from east to west. This will optimise the energy yield from the PV system and leave land available for simultaneous agricultural use.

A 3D diagram of a highly-elevated fixed-tilt solar system illustrating solar modules, substructure, and agricultural crops.

Concept 3: Fixed-tilt modules with cultivation below them

In the third system, the solar modules are elevated on a high pergola-like substructure allowing for crops such as raspberries to be cultivated below them.

Important aspects and advantages of Agri-PV plants

  • Many countries today have limited land resources, and competition for land use between agriculture and renewable energy production can be problematic. Agri-PV plants use existing agricultural land efficiently by installing solar panels on the same land where crops are cultivated or livestock are kept.

  • Farmers can generate additional income by using their land for Agri-PV plants in parallel. This diversification of income sources can help to make agriculture more financially stable in the long term and reduce dependency on traditional agricultural yields. In addition to the lease and crop yields, additional income can be generated, if the farmer takes care of green maintenance and cleaning the PV modules.

    • Reduction of crop losses: Especially for systems built with elevated modules, covering the site can protect animals and plants. In the case of extreme weather events in particular, crop losses or yield reductions can be reduced or even avoided entirely.
    • Saving water: The solar modules provide shade and can thus protect the soil surface from intense solar radiation and reduce the evaporation of water from the soil. Agri-PV plants can also be designed to collect and store rainwater. The collected rainwater can then be used to irrigate the agricultural crops. This reduces the dependency on external water sources.
    • Protection against soil erosion: Agri-PV plants provide a physical barrier that protects the soil from direct contact with rain and wind. This strengthens the soil structure and protects it from erosion.
    • Reducing the use of pesticides: Agri-PV can help to minimise disease infestation in agricultural crops, if the system protects the leaves and fruit of the plants against direct rain. This minimises the risk of disease, which can reduce the use of pesticides.

  • Europe is leading the way in the development of Agri-PV concepts and the definition of regulatory frameworks. Research institutes and companies are working on further improving the efficiency and integration of Agri-PV systems.

  • The energy generated helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as it is based on clean solar energy. This supports the efforts to achieve climate targets and reduce CO2 emissions.

  • Agri-PV plants contribute to the decentralised energy generation and promote the regional energy transition. They enable an increased use of renewable energy sources in rural areas.

Shaping the challenges of Agri-PV

Despite the many advantages of Agri-PV plants, there are also challenges as to how the symbiosis of agriculture and renewable energy production can be realised on a project-specific basis. On average, an Agri-PV plant is more expensive than a standard ground-mounted PV system – the additional costs depend on the technical solution used. Nevertheless, the increasing number of Agri-PV projects worldwide shows that this innovative solution has the potential to make an important contribution to the sustainable development and the realisation of the energy transition in the country.

Overall, Agri-PV plants can serve as a promising example of combining agriculture and renewable energy production to address the pressing challenges of the 21st century: Climate change, energy supply and sustainable land use.

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The RWE Agri-PV team

Our team looks forward to receiving your enquiry about our Agri-PV solutions, special projects or products that secure agricultural yields and generate clean energy. Send e-mail