BayWa r.e. expands agroPV project in the Netherlands to shield plants from extreme weather

• BayWa r.e. and also its Dutch subsidiary GroenLeven have actually increased an agrophotovoltaic setup in the Netherlands to help protect fruit from hailstorm, heavy rainfall as well as severe warmth.

First set up as a pilot project at a farm in the district of Gelderland last year, the park has actually been expanded to consist of 4,500 modules for an ability of 1.2 MWp.

With no requirement for plastic arcs, BayWa r.e. said the farming assistance center is an unique agroPV farm that gives an extra stable environment for expanding redcurrants.

Preliminary trials at the farm in 2019 featured two kinds of solar modules, including a semi-transparent version that were tested with raspberries. The test was increased last year in collaboration with Wageningen College & Study to check out the performance of setting up solar panels above different berries.

Outcomes revealed that the installation of photovoltaic panels developed both good temperatures for the plants as well as far better security from negative weather.

" These pilot projects were an actual success. We kept track of not only the environment under the panels, yet also the plant health and also fruit growth," stated Stephan Schindele, item supervisor of agri-PV at BayWa r.e

The business stated that as well as the tidy power it supplies, the setup's defense against extreme climate represents included value for farmers.

Rini Kusters, who has the fruit farm, claimed severe weather condition events are becoming a lot more usual, influencing plant growth: "The development of fungus on the fruit as a result of an as well wet climate, as an example, is a problem that is significantly frequent. On the best day last year, it was 10 degrees cooler under the solar panels; on the wettest day, the plants continued to be completely dry. It's a remedy that I actually believe in."

BayWa r.e. is presently working together with fruit manufacturers throughout Europe to develop agroPV projects with an overall capacity of 35MWp by 2022, while its moms and dad firm BayWa becomes part of a German project spearheaded by Fraunhofer ISE that is checking out land usage conflicts between solar farms as well as agricultural land.

Other recent growths in the international agroPV area have Enel Green Power start trials at nine pilot plants in southerly Europe, while building and construction is readied to start in the coming months at 2 neighborhood PV parks in Spain that will certainly check out the influence of solar shielding on the cultivation of tropical fruit.