Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE have developed lightweight solar modules to be installed on conventional weather protection systems for specialty crops that weigh less than 5 kg/m². These modules are now being tested in a pilot project as an alternative to steel-based agrivoltaic systems that need to be installed between crops.
Installed in collaboration with the supplier of such weather protection covering systems, VOEN Vöhringer GmbH & Co. KG, the pilot project installed on a cherry orchard in Germany’s Upper Swabia has a potential output of 420 kW/hectare.
These lightweight modules are installed using existing substructures for protective nets and foils. When not in use, the weather protection system can be stored beneath the solar modules.
The demonstration project covers 2 rows of cherry trees with a length of approximately 40 meters. Also part of this project is a specially developed software that simulates the optimal module size while ensuring the yield of the cherry trees is not affected by shading.
On one hand, the plants then benefit from partial sharing and protection against extreme weather. Secondly, PV modules are cooled by the microclimate underneath, thus producing more electricity on hot days, explains the German solar research institute.
“The new concept addresses two factors that make agri-PV systems more expensive than ground-mounted photovoltaics: the higher costs for constructing the mounting system and for installing the PV modules,” said Project Manager at Fraunhofer ISE, Felix Basler. “In addition to developing the affordable lightweight modules, we designed and tested various solutions for their uncomplicated installation on traditional weather protection systems used in specialty crop cultivation.”
The team will now monitor the electricity output of the system as well as the yield of the cherry trees throughout the year. Final data of this project, funded by the Baden-Württemberg State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism through the Invest BW program, will be evaluated at the end of 2025.
Based on the results, Fraunhofer ISE says such configurations can be installed elsewhere since there are more than 5,000 hectares of fruit trees covered by netting or plastic film in southern Baden-Württemberg alone.
Earlier in 2024, Fraunhofer ISE led a consortium that found a fruitful correlation between solar panels and agriculture (see Fraunhofer ISE Releases Interim Results For Agrivoltaic Research).
