solar panels installed above apple trees under the project, irrigation requirements were reduced by 50%
save 70% of pesticides on the area under the agri-PV system
Agri-PV system produces over 20 percent more electricity than the consortium expected based on the simulations
team believes the solar system is generating more electricity due to a combination of evaporative cooling and rear ventilation even though it is still working on the exact reasons
This project had been ongoing for the past two years. A new agrivoltaic testing facility is opening:
agri-PV system at Vollmer Fruit Farm is divided into 4 parts. It includes permanently mounted PV modules for kiwi, pears, apples and plums; a system based on polytunnels in berry cultivation with semi-transparent modules; and a tracking system with fully shading modules
The special thing about the tracked PV system is that the 140 meter long rows are halved. One half of the rows are tracked taking into account plant physiological aspects, the other half are controlled purely according to sun-optimized parameters