Agri-Photovoltaics

Energy transition, climate change, food security, loss of biodiversity and many other reasons require a rethink in energy generation and food production. Agri-photovoltaics (Agri-PV) enables the dual utilisation of agricultural land, as it combines solar power generation and agricultural production in one field.

The interdisciplinary research project at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTWD) is investigating the effect of a solar system with double-sided (so-called bifacial) vertically installed modules on arable land. These photovoltaic systems generate electricity from both the front and the back and require less arable land than the slanted solar modules commonly used to date. The pilot project at the HTW Dresden is intended to assess the potential of such systems and investigate the extent to which this method can be applied to the issues of sustainable land use, soil protection, adaptation to climate change, increasing biodiversity, integration into the biotope network, influence on the water content in the soil and production of renewable energy with low grid load and minimal land consumption.

The project is funded by the Saxon Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture (SMEKUL) from the economic stimulus programme "Sustainably out of the crisis" on the basis of a resolution passed by the Saxon state parliament.