Agrivoltaic farming can yield a distinct set of agricultural and environmental benefits and increase energy production and efficiency.
Agrivoltaic farming is the simultaneous use of areas of land for both solar photovoltaic power generation and agriculture. It involves combining crops with photovoltaic panels to maximize land use. In other words, the practice of growing crops underneath solar panels. This concept combines renewable energy production and local agriculture or native habitats into one space.
It has been proven that it offers numerous benefits such as increasing crop production, reducing water loss, and maximizing the potential of solar energy. Studies have shown that panels positioned above plants can produce up to 10% more electricity, and an agrivoltaic system allows for an expansion of renewable energy production while also increasing land-use efficiency.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS), such as AmpiFARM, offer several benefits for agrivoltaic farming. As energy production and efficiency increase, the need to store the generated energy increases drastically for farmers.
Moreover, it can also improve certain crops,increase land productivity, create a symbiotic relationship between solar panels and crops, and provide more benefits than the isolated activity of agriculture or solar generation alone. Scientific studies have shown that some crops can thrive when grown this way, and recent developments have made it easier to use farm equipment around solar panels. Currently, the industry perspectives about the opportunities for agrivoltaic development are wide in order to guarantee a sustainable future.
In conclusion, agrivoltaic farming creates a win-win system, it combines solar energy and agriculture to offer numerous benefits, such as reduced land-use conflicts between energy production and agriculture, improved energy efficiency, and productivity gains. Last but not least, it also enables long-term cost savings and reduces carbon emissions.
