Photovoltaic power generation from solar panels on farmland in Valparaiso Chile

Should photovoltaics be developed on farmland?

Photovoltaics (PV) are poised to become central to the overall energy decarbonization strategy, but because of land requirements they are likely to be developed on farmland, reigniting concerns related to food security. In this work, we study strategies for co-producing food and energy from corn croplands.

What is agrivoltaic farming?

Under these circumstances, the government, power producers, and farmers are all showing great interest in agrivoltaic farming, a method that combines PV generation and conventional agriculture. Accordingly, this maximizes land use by utilizing arable land for the coexistence of power generation and crop cultivation.

Can solar panels be installed on agricultural land?

The PV development has extensive space requirements, complicated by the increasing competition for land due to rising population growth and food demand. By installing solar panels on agricultural land, agrivoltaic (APV) offers a resource-efficient solution to the persistent problem of competition for arable lands.

Can photovoltaics be used on agricultural land?

Between 2012 and 2017, the number of farms in the USA with photovoltaics increased by nearly 150% (United States Department of Agriculture - National Agricultural statistics Service, 2017). The most straightforward use of photovoltaics on agricultural land would be to simply replace the crops on a portion of the land with a traditional PV array.

Should photovoltaics be integrated with agriculture?

Conclusion With increasing pressure for energy production from croplands, we have shown that the integration of photovoltaics with agriculture is a viable option and could alleviate competition between food and energy.

What is the development prospect of agrivoltaics in China?

The development prospect of agrivoltaics is very broad in China, it not only promotes the development of the PV industry but also the transformation of agricultural development . The main companies involved in the installations of the large-scale agrivoltaic systems were Huawei, Jinko Solar, Longi Solar, Tongwei Group, and the Baofeng Group.