In the plant portfolio of EF Solare Italia there are examples of agro-photovoltaics: about 20 MWp installed on 27ha of greenhouses, under which 11,000 cedar, lemon, mandarin and 1,800 goji berry plants grow.
AGRO-PHOTOVOLTAIC: WHEN SOLAR ENERGY INTEGRATES WITH AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
Photovoltaics continue to grow in Italy and in the World: the installed capacity in our country is now higher than 20 GW, while the global capacity has exceeded 400 GW. However, the decarbonisation objectives for the next decade impose to continue the growth path at an ambitious pace: in Italy the production of solar energy will have to more than triple by 2030, according to what is foreseen in the Proposal of the Integrated Energy and Climate National Plan.
This scenario raises two important issues, especially for the utility-scale segment of the sector, which will have to drive and drive the growth of Italian photovoltaics: soil consumption and integration with production activities. The concerns expressed by several parties regarding the installation of new plants to the detriment of agricultural and pastoral activities can now be addressed by demonstrating that photovoltaics can be compatible and indeed advantageous for the activities of the first sector.
A solution already widespread is that of the panels mounted on the greenhouses: a large-scale project in this area was carried out in France, where at Agen 30,000 photovoltaic panels were installed on nine greenhouses, within which red and yellow-pulp kiwis are produced, new varieties with high commercial potential.
The photovoltaic panels can be mounted not only on glass-and-steel greenhouses, but also on the plastic film ones, provided you take some precautions. The solution developed by the University of Florence, AzzeroCO2 and Bios-is for a Tuscan tree nursery has provided for the arrangement of the panels with alternating rows transversal to the structure, so as not to make it too heavy and at the same time allow sunlight to pass. The albedo effect determined by the lower white surface of the panels also helps to increase the glare of the light inside the greenhouse, ensuring the right amount of light to the plants.
In addition to greenhouse cultivation, photovoltaics can also be integrated with outdoor ones: the panels are mounted on raised supports at regular intervals, thus leaving the bulk of the ground free for sowing or grazing. An experiment by the University of Massachusetts Crop Research and Education Center has shown that this solution is economically successful: although energy production and harvest are slightly lower than the average, the combination of the two production activities is more profitable than single use of the land.
Also breeding and fish farming can be successfully integrated with solar energy generation. In this last area the new projects are particularly active, in combination with the floating photovoltaic system: the benefits are many, from the reduction of the evaporation of the reservoir on which the panels float to an increase in water clarity.
Technological innovations make it possible to overcome any complications linked to the integration of activities: for example, the systems installed on the roofs of the stables are particularly subject to soiling (dust and dirt that is deposited on the photovoltaic panels), which determines a significant reduction of the energy generated. An Italian company has developed a special treatment based on titanium dioxide which has proved to be very effective in keeping the panels clean.
In the plant portfolio of EF Solare Italia there are examples of agro-photovoltaics: about 20 MWp installed on 27ha of greenhouses, under which 11,000 cedar, lemon, mandarin and 1,800 goji berry plants grow. Compared to the open field, one sixth of the water is used in our greenhouses and greater employment is guaranteed, with more farmers who can work for longer periods during the year.