BayWa r.e. installs 685 kWp of agri-PV in orchards in Europe

• German renewables company BayWa r.e. AG has introduced four research-oriented agri-voltaic projects in Europe, installing some 685 kWp of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in orchards in the Netherlands, Austria and Germany.

The "fruit-voltaic" systems are pilot projects involving research institutes in each country that will monitor variables such as plant health and wellness, development and also production, while decreasing waste associated with plastic foil, BayWa r.e. said.

In the Netherlands, the company worked with its Dutch subsidiary GroenLeven to develop two agri-voltaic research centers in the villages of Enspijk as well as Randwijk in the central part of the nation. The PV systems have a capacity of 105 kWp and 125 kWp and also are combined with cherries and also pears. The Fruit Tech Campus and the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) will certainly each monitor one of the pilots.

In Austria, BayWa r.e. as well as its subsidiary ECOWind settled the setup of a 340-kWp pilot for stone and also pome fruit alongside the Haidegg research center in Graz.

The fourth fruit-voltaic system was established in Oedheim, southerly Germany. There, BayWa r.e. as well as MKG GOBEL installed a 115-kWp framework with a light passage of about 70 % as well as rainproof building over a raspberry field. The research institute for Viticulture and fruit growing Weinsberg (LVWO) will monitor the high quality of the fruit below the PV modules, BayWa r.e. claimed.

The Dutch federal government, the federal state of Styria in Austria and the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg moneyed the projects.

"We are experiencing a fantastic demand for our Agri-PV remedies, since it brings PV expansion according to farming as well as nature preservation. For these synergies to be leveraged in between the markets, technical adaptation of the PV generator is needed, resulting in higher costs", stated Stephan Schindele, Head of Product Management Agri-PV at BayWa r.e.

"However, in lots of markets, the political course has not yet been readied to serve this possible and also demand. In collaboration with the clinical community, we will certainly demonstrate that it is socially, environmentally and also economically rewarding to support Agri-PV," Schindele added.

The renewables company created and also installed 15 agri-PV projects in the EU by the end of 2022. In 2023, it will develop its very first agri-PV projects outside the bloc and also include the supposed "rangevoltaic" applications to its portfolio, which will combine cow as well as sheep elevating with PV.