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Solar Energy

clean electricity from clean waters

March 17, 2025 ryansheehanrts

The potential of floating solar plants (floating PV) is vast. Despite this, very few artificial lakes are used to generate solar power. To date around 5.6 gigawatts of floating PV capacity have been put in place worldwide, most of this in Asia. Only around 500 megawatts of solar plant capacity is currently floating on European waters.

Three lakes analysed

One of the reasons for this is the uncertainty about the impact of solar installations on aquatic ecology. However, Konstantin Ilgen from Fraunhofer ISE offers some reassurance. He has examined three lakes in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany on which solar plants have been installed. Until recently, this aspect of floating PV has barely been researched, which has implications for relevant legislation. In Germany, for instance, solar systems are only allowed to cover 15 percent of the water surface and they must keep a distance of 40 meters from the shore.

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Low impact

This significantly reduces the potential for floating PV. However, the rules are not based on concrete studies. The group at Fraunhofer ISE led by Konstantin Ilgen has now closed this gap. His study, which he presented at this year’s PV Symposium in Bad Staffelstein, concluded that there is minimal impact of photovoltaics on the ecology of water bodies.

Current Study: Floating-PV could support energy goals in the U.S.

Specifically, he looked at the water quality and the growth of aquatic plants in the three lakes, with a particular focus on macrophytes. These are the aquatic plants that grow close to the shore. The more distant they are from the shore, the less vegetation there is.

Plants mapped

In addition, the effects of the solar system on the water temperature and a chemical analysis were also carried out. The influence of solar plants on water bodies depends, among other things, on the structure of the water bodies. For example, the solar plant in Switzerland was built on a reservoir that is emptied and then refilled more frequently anyway. „Its ecological quality is not very good anyway,“ explains Konstantin Ilgen. “We found a greater diversity of plants and animals in the lake in Germany.”

Floating solar plant installed on artificial lake

Mapping the macrophytes in the lakes has shown a total of 15 different species. Many of these were invasive species that do not actually grow in the lakes. Very valuable species were rarely present.

Water quality remains stable

Water quality is also hardly affected by the solar installations.The change in water temperature in the lakes in the Netherlands and Germany is within the measurement inaccuracies, so it is not significant.

In the lake in Switzerland, however, the scientists detected major cooling. However, this is not due to the solar system, but to the melting of snow from the mountains.

Water becomes clearer

In the body of water in Germany, the researchers have even noticed a decrease in turbidity. “This is due to the fact that many mussels settle on the substructure of the solar system, which filter the water,” explains Konstantin Ilgen.

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This was relevant as the body of water under investigation is a gravel lake with a sediment-rich inflow. As a result, a lot of suspended matter gets into the lake, which means that fewer plants can grow. “We simulated the natural state of the lake, which is what would happen if no dredging were to take place. In this case, the macrophyte colonisation would expand,” says Ilgen.

Water depth is crucial

Project planners can use all the results of the study to position the plant in such a way that it has little impact on water quality or even improves it. However, the results also show that the legal requirements have no scientific basis. “Because we only found the macrophytes in the shore area,” says Ilgen. However, this area is still a long way from the 40 meters prescribed by law. “The water depth would be a more useful criterion in this case, as this is the decisive factor in the colonisation of macrophytes. The 40-metre distance from the shore makes no sense,” he emphasises. (su)

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Solar Energy

Gridparity finishes major agri-PV system

March 7, 2025 ryansheehanrts

The solar array on farmer Stefan Jatzkowsky’s field in Bad Sassendorf in the west of Germany should be ready by spring. However, the construction of the tracker system with an installed capacity of 933 kilowatts was a major task, which is why the craftsmen from Gridparity wanted to start building the agri-PV system in the summer 2024.

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Construction in a bird sanctuary

Due to the protracted approval process for the elevated installation in a bird sanctuary, the start of construction was postponed until November 2024, with the subsequent challenge of more difficult weather conditions. Heavy rain, snowfall, ice and strong winds made the work a genuine obstacle course. Despite this, Gridparity managed to construct the plant on time by mid-January 2025.

Agri-PV: How to succeed on the path to regenerative and sustainable agriculture

Agriculture still possible

The system consists of trackers elevated at a height of 2.2 metres. The individual rows of trackers are each seven metres apart. This will allow agricultural use to continue almost without restriction. The farmer is only unable to cultivate one strip between the posts of the mounting system. However, this serves to improve biodiversity. This is because insects can colonise the area. It also provides shelter for birds.

How to activate agricultural areas to produce solar electricity? Download our special here!

High yield from the tracker

By using the tracker, the farmer can increase the system’s yield to a whopping 1,248,000 kilowatt hours, which also benefits the sustainability of neighbouring farms. At the same time, farmer Stefan Jatzkowsky can show how small tracker systems close to the farm can be harmonised with different agricultural crops. The semi-transparent double-glazed modules used also ensure an improved microclimate under the solar installation.

Ioannis Chatzichristofis: “a key prerequisite is the modernization of the Polish electricity grid”

Scientific support

Among other things, the scientific monitoring of the project by Haus Düsse, which is located in the immediate vicinity in Bad Sassendorf, focuses on how this microclimate affects the growth of the plants. This is the experimental and training centre for agriculture in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Bad Sassendorf. The researchers also want to find out which plants grow well under the modules. Various organic grain varieties, such as original spelt, are to be cultivated for this purpose. Haus Düsse already operates a small pilot plant with an output of around 17 kilowatts at the site, which is used for demonstration and research purposes. (su)

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Solar Energy

New study highlights potential of UK agri-PV

March 7, 2025 ryansheehanrts

A study by the University of Sheffield shows that the combination of photovoltaics and agriculture can contribute to achieving the energy transition targets in the UK without losing agricultural land. This would also be in line with the government’s requirements for the expansion of large solar power plants. This is because London wants to drive forward the expansion of ground-mounted solar installations throughout the UK in order to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

Farmers fear loss of land

However, this does not meet well with farmers. They fear the loss of high-quality farmland, which in turn would have an impact on food production and the cost of living. In addition, the solar installations would have a visual impact on the landscape. For this reason, researchers at the University of Sheffield have focussed on agri-PV.

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Coverage potential of the area increased

In their study, the researchers demonstrate that the use of agri-PV enables the simultaneous cultivation of food or livestock farming as well as the production of solar power. This is because the area under or between the rows of modules can still be used for agricultural purposes. As a result, agri-PV enables higher coverage potential on the area than the separate operation of solar systems and agriculture on different areas.

PV from field and barn: Our special for the dual harvest on farms

It can also reconcile government targets for solar roll-out with agriculture. „Our research identifies the areas in the UK where this technology can be most effectively deployed, both to mitigate land use conflicts and deliver the UK’s energy needs,“ explains Sue Hartley, Professor at the University of Sheffield and co-author of the study.

Favourite regions identified

Regions suitable for the effective deployment of agri-PV include Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire and the wider East and South East of England. The researchers looked at various factors that are necessary for dual utilisation. In these areas, several factors contribute to this suitability. These include the availability of flat land, the extent of existing agricultural use, the grid connectivity and the prevalence of solar radiation.

UK: Large solar PV and storage co-location site in Birmingham operational

Little research on agri-PV in the UK to date

With their study, the scientists want to defuse the debates on land use policy and inform farmers about the possibilities of the combination. The aim is to support the development of domestic agri-PV. „ Research on agrivoltaics is extensive in mainland Europe, but very little has been done in the UK,” says Richard Randle-Boggis, explaining the need for the new study.

Expert analysis: Key challenges and opportunities for the European renewable energy market

Next step is field trials

He is responsible for agri-PV research at the University of Sheffield. „Our next step should be field experiments to test the performance of the systems, investigate different designs with different crops and better understand the perspectives of local communities and other stakeholders,” emphasises Richard Randle-Boggis. „After all, the loss of farmland is typically a major reason communities oppose solar park development in their local areas,“ he says. „Our research takes a leading step in demonstrating where solar parks could be developed alongside agricultural activities so that farmland is not lost.

The study „The spatial potential for agrivoltaics to address energy-agriculture land use conflicts in Great Britain“, which also involved scientists from the Norwegian industrial research institute SINTEF, has been published in the journal Science Direct.

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Solar Energy

Gridparity builds large agri-PV system with trackers

February 14, 2025 ryansheehanrts

The solar array on farmer Stefan Jatzkowsky’s field in Bad Sassendorf in the west of Germany should be ready by spring. However, the construction of the tracker system with an installed capacity of 933 kilowatts is not done overnight. That is why the craftsmen from Gridparity wanted to start building the agri-PV system in the summer 2024.

Don’t miss any important information about the solar energy transition in agruculture! Simply subscribe to our free newsletter.

Construction in a bird sanctuary

However, due to the protracted approval process for the elevated installation in a bird sanctuary, the start of construction was postponed until November 2024. The challenge was that the weather conditions became more difficult at this point. Heavy rain, snowfall, ice and strong winds made the work a real obstacle course. However, despite these unfavourable conditions, Gridparity managed to construct the plant on time by mid-January 2025.

Agri-PV: How to succeed on the path to regenerative and sustainable agriculture

Agriculture still possible

How to activate agricultural areas to produce solar electricity? Download our special here!

High yield from the tracker

Ioannis Chatzichristofis: “a key prerequisite is the modernization of the Polish electricity grid”

Scientific support

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Solar Energy

How to succeed on the path to regenerative and sustainable agriculture

February 10, 2025 ryansheehanrts

The dual use of arable land for food and solar power production not only provides farmers with greater sustainability, but also with substantial profits. Analysts from Boston Consulting and agri-PV experts from Baywa r.e. have looked at how this dual use can support farms in their transition to renewable agriculture.

Agri-PV finances the transition

The result: photovoltaics can play a key role in helping the transition to more sustainable land usage. Just the financing of this transition is easier in combination with photovoltaics. The analysts looked at three different sizes of farms to see all the financial benefits they could expect from combining sustainable agriculture and photovoltaics.

Don’t miss any important information about the solar energy transition in agruculture! Simply subscribe to our free newsletter.

Farmers benefit in the long run

The figures speak for themselves. A medium-sized farm can generate additional annual profits of between 55,000 and 75,000 euros in the long term with so-called regenerative agriculture. It even has an impact on small farms. Analysts forecast additional profits of between 15,000 and 17,000 euros in the long term. These benefits will be somewhat lower in the first few years – not least due to the necessary investments. These additional profits increase all the more in the following years. Agri-PV in particular can provide farmers with financial support when transitioning.

PV from field and barn: Our special for the dual harvest on farms

Three different farms analysed

In the study, the authors initially describe what agri-PV is and the advantages of solar systems for agricultural land. In the second part, they describe the cash flows in the phase of transition to regenerative agriculture. They looked at three different farms in Germany as examples. On the one hand, there is the small farm with 25 hectares of arable land and 25 hectares of grassland. A medium-sized farm with 200 hectares of arable land and 100 hectares of grassland was included in the analysis. There is also a large arable farm with 1,000 hectares of land.

How to combine agri-PV with wind power and storage?

Business models analysed

These three different farms have different business models for utilising solar power. For example, self-consumption is possible for all farms, although this only makes sense for a smaller farm without a partner. The use of the feed-in tariffs or market bonuses is also possible for all farm sizes, while the direct power purchase agreement (PPA) is particularly interesting for large agricultural enterprises.

You can find the complete study on the Boston Consulting Group website. (su)

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Solar Energy

New results – Only minor losses due to snow on alpine solar installations

October 30, 2024 ryansheehanrts

Experts from the Renewable Energy Research Group at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) have been measuring the yields of a photovoltaic system in the Davos-Parsenn ski resort in collaboration with the electricity utility of the Canton of Zurich (EKZ) since 2017. The modules of the system on the Totalp, a good 2,500 metres above sea level, are set at six different angles in order to measure how this angle affects the yields. The steeper the modules are positioned, the faster the snow slides off the surface, according to the theory.

The researchers also wanted to know whether the modules deliver a lot of electricity at this height, especially in winter. In addition, some of the modules are bifacial, meaning they can also produce electricity on the back. This is also particularly advantageous in winter, when the white snow on the ground casts a lot of light onto the backs of the modules.

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Lots of electricity in winter

Measurements in the test installation in the Davos-Parsenn ski resort have actually shown that with steeply staffed, bifacial solar modules, losses due to snow cover are only slight to actually negligible. With the system on the Totalp, the researchers were able to show that alpine solar systems can produce a lot of electricity, especially in the winter months. The prerequisite is, of course, that the modules are not covered by snow.

Lower losses due to steep angle

This is because snow on the modules can impair the electricity yield, especially in snowy winters. Measurements over the last six years show that for bifacial modules with an inclination of at least 60 degrees, the average yield losses due to snow cover in the winter half-year amounted to less than three per cent of the theoretical yield.

Vertical modules strong in winter

Vertically mounted modules are a speciality here. Due to the 90 degree inclination, the yield losses due to snow on the surface were actually less than one per cent. This is because almost no snow remains on these modules. As a result, they delivered the highest yields of all modules in winter, but fell short of the yields of the 30 or 60 degree tilted modules in the summer months.

Also interesting: New platform for Alpine solar plants

The additional yield due to the bifaciality was consistently around 24 per cent, which is slightly lower than the modules with an angle of 60 degrees. ‘The losses due to snow cover are negligible for bifacial modules inclined at more than 70 degrees in alpine regions,’ says ZHAW researcher Jürg Rohrer, summarising the entire series of measurements. Raphael Knecht, Head of Solar Business at EKZ, adds: ‘In our alpine projects, we choose steeply inclined, bifacial modules to maximise the winter yield. Several years of experience with the test system now confirm our planning that losses due to snow cover are minimised.’

Long-term measurement continues

However, the data now published is only an interim result. The long-term measurements will continue until 2027 in order to gather long-term experience in alpine solar power production. The continuous measurements should help to further optimise the system configurations and improve yields under Alpine conditions. Switzerland wants to use such systems to solve the problem that solar systems in the valleys and lowlands produce less electricity in winter. (su/mfo)

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Solar Energy

Topic of the Week: Agriculture

October 10, 2024 ryansheehanrts

The majority of farmers are considering investing in a photovoltaic system on their land or are in favour of building such systems. The prerequisite is that the land can continue to be used for agriculture. This is the result of a recent survey of farmers by the DLG as part of the Agri-PV Practice Monitor.

In this survey, 125 farmers were asked how favourably their businesses were disposed towards new technologies and development opportunities. At 83 per cent, most of the interviewed farms were full-time businesses with a size between 100 and 200 hectares of agricultural land. After all, three quarters of the interviewed businesses already had a photovoltaic system on their roofs and therefore already had experience with solar power generation.

Most farmers want to invest in PV

In the survey, 95 per cent of the interviewed farmers stated that they were interested in new production processes and technologies. Actually, 90 per cent are looking for new development opportunities for their businesses. Accordingly, interest in open-field and agri-PV systems is high. More than half of the farmers surveyed would invest in an open-field system. Another third would consider it if the agricultural use of the arable land could continue after the installation of the solar system.

Crops are the main focus, PV is only secondary

In a direct comparison between a normal solar park and an agri-PV system, the trend is towards an agri-PV design. The advantages in terms of crop production aspects are the main reason given by the interviewees. The interviewees see the possibility of optimising the solar system, for example by means of semi-transparent modules or trackers, to the detriment of the electricity yield, in order to optimise the light supply for the plants as the main production goal. Accordingly, farmers prefer tracker systems to fixed elevations, whereby it makes no difference to them whether the modules are installed vertically or horizontally – the decisive factor here is whether they can be driven on and used for agriculture.

Positive impact on biodiversity

But farmers also see other advantages of photovoltaics. This is because it can have a positive impact on biodiversity. Wind erosion on the surface is also reduced by the solar system. However, the fact that the solar systems provide shade for the plants or protect them from the weather plays a less important role for the farmers surveyed. However, this may be because the interviewees included few berry and fruit growers, as well as winegrowers.

Criticism of the bureaucratic burden

However, farmers also see some disadvantages. For example, they expect tight limits on the use of machinery to cultivate the land. By contrast, they see less of a problem with the plants being shaded by the agri-PV system. Farmers are also sceptical from a business point of view. Although they do see that agri-PV can provide them with a second source of income, they believe that investing in photovoltaics takes priority over other investments.

Furthermore, the farmers interviewed fear a high level of bureaucracy and uncertain framework conditions if they decide in favour of photovoltaics as an investment. This could indeed prevent investments.

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Self-consumption in animal husbandry, dual use in arable farming

Self-consumption of the solar power produced plays only a minor role in the investment. The focus is on feeding the solar power into the grid. However, it depends on what the farmers produce. While farmers who mainly deal with crop production are less interested in using their own solar power, the situation is different for livestock farmers. These businesses have high energy consumption and they actually see using their own solar power as an opportunity to reduce their energy costs during periods of high energy prices. For these farmers, the interest in an east-west orientation of the solar system outweighs that of a south-facing installation of the modules.

Lack of information on regulatory issues

The farmers feel well informed about the technologies and their applications. However, there is great interest in information about the latest developments in the industry and in the area of legal frameworks. They also need support in taking the necessary steps to get their own solar system. Among other things, this involves questions of grid connection and building law. Thus, possible investments are prevented both by a sluggish grid expansion and by the fact that the municipalities partially limit the usable areas. In addition, there are difficulties in coping with the grid operators, in solving building law problems and when it comes to the question of whether the area can be used again as before.

Also interesting: Dual use of land: New special on Agri-PV

You will receive support on legal and regulatory issues at EnergyDecentral. Here you can come into direct contact with suppliers from the solar and storage industry as part of the solar offensive and discuss specific steps for implementing your agri-PV project. You will also receive extensive information from the speakers on the Spotlight Solar Offensive stage. (su/mfo)

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