Agrovoltaics: The future where agriculture is powered by solar energy

For a long time, we have faced a dilemma: should we allocate land to food production or clean energy generation? This question has been at the center of a crucial debate about sustainability and land use. Traditionally, vast fields of photovoltaic solar panels or giant wind turbines are installed on land that could otherwise be fertile for agriculture.

The need for renewable energy collides head-on with the need to ensure food production. But what if we told you that you don't have to choose?

To break this duality, agricultural innovation experts devised agroparks or elevated solar farms. The solution was ingenious: elevate the solar panels more than two meters off the ground. This way, crops could continue to grow beneath the structures.

Although at first glance this is a brilliant solution, it comes with its own challenges. These installations, being higher in elevation, are significantly more expensive to install and maintain. Despite this, it was a promising first step toward the symbiosis between clean energy and the primary sector.

But science and engineering don't stand still. They are always looking for the most efficient and cost-effective way to solve major problems. And so, hand in hand with research, an idea has emerged that is changing the rules of the game.

Recently, a pioneering study conducted at Aarhus University in Denmark has demonstrated the viability of an even more efficient solution for combining solar energy and crops.

The key lies in the panel design. They abandon conventional horizontal panels, and the Danish proposal uses bifacial solar panels placed vertically, oriented east to west. The result? Surprising efficiency.

These bifacial panels are capable of generating energy on both sides: in the morning they capture the light of the rising sun, and in the afternoon, the setting sun. This has a huge economic advantage, as these are precisely the hours when the best prices are typically found on the energy market.

Most importantly, they have minimal impact on the land. Installing these vertical panels uses barely 10% of the field surface. The test in Denmark showed that the crops growing between the rows of panels were barely affected. In some cases, the light shade cast by the panels can even be beneficial in very hot climates, reducing water evaporation.

This new approach to vertical agrivoltaics opens up a range of possibilities. It demonstrates that we can generate clean energy without compromising our ability to produce food. It's a model that benefits everyone:

. For farmers: it offers them a new source of income through the sale of electricity, diversifying their business and making it more profitable and resilient.

. For the environment: it reduces the carbon footprint, encourages the use of renewable energy, and optimizes the use of land, an increasingly scarce resource.

. For society: it contributes to the energy transition toward a more sustainable and secure model, without sacrificing food security.

Agricultural innovation is teaching us that the solution is not choosing between land and energy, but rather merging them. It's a reminder that complex problems often have creative solutions that integrate different disciplines.

We are in an exciting time. The next time you see a field, see not just wheat or sunflowers, but also hidden potential for a greener and more sustainable future. Smart agriculture and clean energy are destined to go hand in hand, and this is just the beginning.