Search Results (19)

The escalating demand for water, energy, and food, coupled with the imperative for sustainable development, necessitates innovative solutions to address the complex interdependencies within the water–energy–food nexus. In this context, agriculture and photovoltaics (Agri-PV or Agri–voltaics) systems have emerged as a promising approach to promoting sustainable agricultural practices while enhancing energy efficiency and food production. However, limited research, especially on the technical aspects of Agri-PV, has resulted in a knowledge gap regarding how to model and determine the suitability of Agri-PV for different crops based on local conditions. This study presents a novel approach to modeling and simulating Agri-PV systems for various major crops in developing countries, using Uzbekistan as a case study. It provides a blueprint for selecting suitable Agri-PV systems. The research investigates the technical feasibility of Agri-PV technology tailored to Uzbekistan’s agricultural landscape, with broader implications for Central Asia. Employing a systematic methodology, the study begins by selecting appropriate sites and crops for Agri-PV system testing, ensuring the relevance and applicability of the research findings to the local context. Using advanced software tools such as PVSyst, the study accurately calculates photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) values specific to selected crops, bridging a significant knowledge gap and providing empirical data essential for informed decision making. The methodology further incorporates an in-depth analysis of economic and technical considerations in selecting PV modules and inverters, enhancing the scientific accuracy of the study. By strategically modeling Agri-PV systems based on parameters like row density, module distance, and tilt angle, this research aims to optimize the integration of photovoltaic technology with agricultural practices in Uzbekistan. Moreover, this study helps to understand the impact of Agri-PV systems on the water–energy–food nexus, providing valuable insights into the potential benefits and challenges specific to the region. The study identifies the positive impact of Agri-PV on major crops and provides a suitable design and modeling approach for sustainable farming practices. Full article

Utilizing the power of sunlight through agro-photovoltaic fusion systems (APFSs) seamlessly blends sustainable agriculture with renewable energy generation. This innovative approach not only addresses food security and energy sustainability but also plays a pivotal role in combating climate change. This study assesses the feasibility and impact of APFS implementation in District Dir Lower, Pakistan, a region significant for its agriculture and energy needs. A quasi-experimental design was employed, comparing outcomes between a treatment group (with an APFS) and a control group (without an APFS). Stratified random sampling was used to select 400 participants, including farmers, residents, local authorities, and community leaders. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed employing paired t-tests, linear regression, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Chi-square tests. The results show that the treatment group with an APFS exhibited significant improvements in farming practices (mean change = 4.20 vs. 2.80). Linear regression indicated a strong positive effect of APFSs on renewable energy production. The ANOVA results demonstrated significant mitigation of environmental challenges, and the Chi-square test showed a strong association between APFS implementation and community sustainability, resilience, and prosperity. It is concluded that APFS implementation significantly enhances farming practices, renewable energy production, and environmental sustainability, contributing to the resilience and prosperity of agricultural communities in District Dir Lower. These findings advocate for the broader adoption of APFSs in similar contexts to integrate sustainable agriculture with renewable energy generation. Full article

Renewable energy from photovoltaic power plants has increased in amount globally as an alternative energy to combat global climate change by reducing fossil fuel burning and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. The agro-photovoltaic (APV) approach can be a solution to produce solar energy and crop production at the same time by installing solar panels on the same farmland to increase land use efficiency. This study aimed to compare the yield and yield components of rice (Oryza sativa L.) between a vertical APV system and a control field across two years. The solar panels were installed around the rice field in four directions of rice cultivation. Based on the analysis of variance, the primary factor influencing measured yield and yield components was the year effect, whereas the direction effect did not show significance, except for amylose content and ripened grains. Especially for rice production, the rice yield in 2023 was 6.8 t/ha, which was significantly higher by 0.8 t/ha than in 2022. Compared with the control condition, however, there was no significant negative impact on the year-to-year rice yield of the vertical APV system across two years. As rice yield was mainly affected by year, rice yield trials will be required for multiple years to understand the genetic and environmental factors influencing rice production under the vertical APV system. Full article

Agrivoltaic systems (AVS) allow the simultaneous use of land—as a limited resource—for crop production and electricity generation. This paper introduces the development prospects of AVS in Hungary with insights into international trends. The most important part is a complex economic analysis and a unit cost analysis of a 38 MWp capacity AVS, considering the most typical basic data in electricity and apple production. The applied risk analysis is based on a Monte Carlo simulation, the distribution function, and probabilities. To introduce the economic facet of the competitiveness of AVS, a comparative analysis was carried out between AVS, ground-mounted photovoltaic (GM-PV) systems, and conventional apple production systems (ConAPS). In the most probable scenario, the AVS was financially attractive (NPV = 70 million EUR under 30 years). Our correlation analysis shows that feed-in tariff (FIT) price and the role of financing are considered the dominant economic factors. A favorable FIT price enhances the profitability of AVS; however, it makes GM-PV systems more profitable compared to AVS, so it negatively affects the competitiveness of AVS systems. AVS operations result in a more balanced unit cost of apples and of electricity compared to the independent operation of GM-PV systems and of ConAPS; in addition, it allows for land saving and more intensive land use. Full article

Agrophotovoltaic (APV) systems produce both solar energy and crops, so they are considered a sustainable alternative to traditional solar power plants, which can potentially destroy farmlands. However, it is challenging to diffuse APV systems because of their high installation and operating costs. Thus, to resolve the issue by maximizing the productivity and profits of an APV system, this study aims to propose a mobile-phone-based decision support system (DSS) for a supply chain network design for APV systems in South Korea using satellite imagery incorporating geographic information system (GIS) data. Particularly, polynomial regression models estimating annual corn (Zea mays) yields and the predicted generation of electricity were developed and integrated with the proposed DSS. Field experiment data provided by the APV system at Jeollanamdo Agricultural Research and Extension Services in South Korea were utilized. Two photovoltaic (PV) module types (mono-facial and bi-facial) and three different shading ratios for APV systems (21.3%, 25.6%, and 32.0%) were considered design factors for APV systems. An optimal network structure of 6 candidate APV systems and 15 agricultural markets was devised using the generalized reduced gradient (GRG) method. The profits of the six candidate APV systems are mainly affected by the transportation costs to the markets and the policy of the electricity selling prices. As a result, the proposed supply chain design framework successfully identifies an APV system network with maximum profits from crop production as well as electricity generation. Full article

An agrovoltaic system combines agricultural crop production and energy production in the same place, emphasizing the dual use of land. This article provides a bibliometric analysis of agrivoltaic topics based on publications indexed in SCOPUS, in which either economic assessments of agrivoltaics, agrivoltaic systems for crops and livestock animals, photovoltaic greenhouse and agrivoltaics with open field are discussed, or its ideas are used to analyze certain locations. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the SCOPUS database. Multiple bibliometric tools, such as R Studio and Biblioshiny, were applied to analyze data for this study. Finally, 121 relevant articles were obtained and reviewed. The results show that the focus topic is a brand-new research area, with the majority of relevant scientific publications concentrated in the last three years, and with much ongoing research. This is why AV-specialized scientific conferences might be the best place to get relevant and up-to-date information, with the highest number being offered in the USA and China. A typical trend in recent years has been researched, focusing on different agricultural aspects. The research results show that scientific publications in recent years mainly focus on short-term predictions, there is no recognized evaluation standard for various prediction analyses, and it is difficult to evaluate various prediction methods so far. Full article

Climate change must be the most serious environmental crisis of the present human generation. While corresponding climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices are emerging, the extent to which CSA is profitable to farmers is unclear. In this paper, we focus on agrophotovoltaics (APV), one of the CSA policies intensively pursued by the Korean government, to analyze the profitability of APV and its implications for rural sustainability. First, we consider the total profit of farms before and after APV installation by a region through generalized least squares (GLS) to verify that APV has overall profitability through the region. Additionally, we estimate farms’ productivity by region with a generalized method of moments (GMM) to compare with the results of the profitability. We predict that APV installation will be more profitable than not installing, and the regions with lower productivity will show higher profitability than other regions. The results are in line with the prediction. The profitability of APV is verified in all regions, and the order of profitability by region and productivity by region are opposite to each other. It suggests that regions with lower productivity may have a higher preference for installing APV, implying the installation of APV provides a new incentive to continue farming even in regions with low agricultural productivity. These results have an important policy implication on rural sustainability since the implementation of CSA could generate a sound and sustainable farming environment by addressing the challenges of climate change. Full article

In the context of the global energy crisis and crucial issues on food, the development and utilization of agrivoltaic (APV) systems could be a way to solve both the energy shortage and agricultural production at the same time and in the same area. As a combination of photovoltaics (PV) and agriculture, agrivoltaics has broad prospects for the future agricultural development of Hungary. Since especially large-scale PV systems can be considered as a potential basis of APV systems, the Kaposvár Solar Power Plant Project in Hungary was analyzed in this study. Two comparative analyses were used: between APV and PV systems, and between APV and apple plantation. An economic model has been developed. The baseline scenario shows that APV systems in current technological and economic conditions are not competitive with PV systems and are also less attractive for agricultural farmers, due to the long return period of the surplus investment cost. By analyzing uncertain factors and seeking possible solutions, the authors’ recommendations for the development, subsidy system and technology might be useful for both farmers and for decision makers to promote APV systems in the future. Full article

APV systems producing both crops and electricity are becoming popular as an alternative way of producing renewable energy in many countries with land shortage issues (e.g., South Korea). This study aims at developing a hybrid performance model of an Agrophotovoltaic (APV) system that produces crops underneath the PV modules. In this study, the physical model used to estimate solar radiation is integrated with a polynomial regression approach to forecast the amount of electricity generation and crop production in the APV system. The model takes into account not only the environmental factors (i.e., daily temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind speed) but also physical factors (i.e., shading ratio of the APV system) related to the performance of the APV system. For more accurate modelling, the proposed approach is validated based on field experiment data collected from the APV system at Jeollanam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services in South Korea. As a result, the proposed approach can predict the electricity generation quantity in the APV system with an R² of 80.4%. This will contribute to the distribution of the APV system, which will increase farmers’ income as well as the sustainability of our society. Full article

Agro-photovoltaics (APV) could be the optimal means of sustainable development in agricultural areas once a few challenges are overcome, perhaps the greatest of which is the constant shading from AVP structures. This study examined how the growth and yield of rice, potato, sesame, and soybean crops could be optimized when grown underneath different APV systems. The solar radiation, shading levels, and temperatures during crop cultivation were measured. In addition, the photosynthetic efficiency was measured at different growth stages. Adjacent to the APV systems were the control plots with full sun. In these studies with potato crops grown under APV systems, most growth and yield parameters were similar to those grown in the control plot except for the plant height. On the other hand, sesame crops grown underneath the APV systems had a lower stem length, effective branching number, 1000 seed weight, and a reduced yield of 19% compared to the crops from the control plot. In two distant locations (Paju and Youngkwang), soybean crops grown underneath APV systems at both sites showed increased ungrained ratios per pod and a reduced yield of 18–20% compared to the control plot. Finally, rice crops cultivated underneath the APV systems had a lower panicle number per hill, spikelet number per panicle, 1000 seed weight, and yield reduction of 13–30% compared to the control plot. Overall, crops grown underneath the APV systems had a greater plant height and stem length. Moreover, the solar radiation and PAR underneath the APV systems were also lower than in the control plots. The photosynthetic efficacy in rice plants grown underneath the APV systems was lower than in the control plots. The photosynthetic efficacy may help lower the crop yield when cultivation is underneath an APV system. Full article

Renewable energy generation has attracted growing interest globally. The agro-photovoltaic (APV) system is a new alternative to conventional photovoltaic power plants, which can simultaneously generate renewable energy and increase agricultural productivity by the use of solar panels on the same farmland. The optimization of crop yields and assessment of their environmental sensitivity under the solar panels have not yet been evaluated with various crop species. This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performances and crop yields under the APV system and the open field with crop species such as rice, onion, garlic, rye, soybean, adzuki bean, monocropping corn, and mixed planting of corn with soybean in South Korea. The results indicated that there was statistically no negative impact of the APV system on the forage yield of rye and corn over two years, suggesting that forage crops under the APV system were suitable to producing forage yield for livestock. In addition, the measured forage quality of rye was not significantly different between the open field and the APV system. However, rice yield was statistically reduced under the APV system. The yield of legume crops and vegetables in this study did not show consistent statistical results in two years. For further study, crop yield trials will still be required for rice, soybean, adzuki bean, onion, and garlic for multiple years under the APV system. Full article

Agro-photovoltaic systems are of interest to the agricultural industry because they can produce both electricity and crops in the same farm field. In this study, we aimed to simulate staple crop yields under agro-photovoltaic panels (AVP) based on the calibration of crop models in the decision support system for agricultural technology (DSSAT) 4.6 package. We reproduced yield data of paddy rice, barley, and soybean grown in AVP experimental fields in Bosung and Naju, Chonnam Province, South Korea, using CERES-Rice, CERES-Barley, and CROPGRO-Soybean models. A geospatial crop simulation modeling (GCSM) system, developed using the crop models, was then applied to simulate the regional variations in crop yield according to solar radiation reduction scenarios. Simulated crop yields agreed with the corresponding measured crop yields with root mean squared errors of 0.29-ton ha⁻¹ for paddy rice, 0.46-ton ha⁻¹ for barley, and 0.31-ton ha⁻¹ for soybean, showing no significant differences according to paired sample t-tests. We also demonstrated that the GCSM system could effectively simulate spatiotemporal variations in crop yields due to the solar radiation reduction regimes. An additional advancement in the GCSM design could help prepare a sustainable adaption strategy and understand future food supply insecurity. Full article

The Agrophotovoltaic (APV) system is a novel concept in the field of Renewable Energy Systems. This system enables the generation of solar energy via photo-voltaic (PV) modules above crops, to mitigate harmful impact on food production. This study aims to develop a performance evaluation model for an APV system in a temperate climate region, such as South Korea. To this end, both traditional electricity generation models (solar radiation-based model and climate-based model) of PV modules and two major machine learning (ML) techniques (i.e., polynomial regression and deep learning) have been considered. Electricity generation data was collected via remote sensors installed in the APV system at Jeollanam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services in South Korea. Moreover, economic analysis in terms of cost and benefit of the subject APV system was conducted to provide information about the return on investment to farmers and government agencies. As a result, farmers, agronomists, and agricultural engineers can easily estimate performance and profit of their APV systems via the proposed performance model. Full article

Recently, in Korea, there have been some disturbing events forcing a trade-off between the expansion of agrophotovoltaic (APV) power plants and the agricultural policy to enhance the public benefit function of agriculture. Under this context, this study attempts to examine the public perception of agricultural landscape and the APV power plants and to analyze the impact of APV power plants on the amenity value of the agricultural landscape. The results of the analysis based on the choice experiment method shows that the marginal willingness-to-pay for a rural tourism accommodation with a ‘agricultural landscape view’ is USD 64.37 higher compared to ‘agrophotovoltaics panel view.’ This implies that the value of the agricultural landscape decreases when solar panels are installed on farmland, signifying the detrimental impact of the APV power plants on the multi-functionality of agriculture. If the installation of APVs is expanded to farmlands nationwide, the amenity value of agricultural landscape is estimated to decrease by USD 1.70 billion or 55.0% of the total estimated amenity value in Korea. Full article

In this paper, we conclude that Indonesia has vast potential for generating and balancing solar photovoltaic (PV) energy to meet future energy needs at a competitive cost. We systematically analyse renewable energy potential in Indonesia. Solar PV is identified to be an energy source whose technical, environmental and economic potential far exceeds Indonesia’s present and future energy requirements and is far larger than all other renewable energy resources combined. We estimate that electricity consumption in Indonesia could reach 9000 terawatt-hours per year by 2050, which is 30 times larger than at present. Indonesia has abundant space to deploy enough solar to meet this requirement, including on rooftops, inland reservoirs, mining wasteland, and in combination with agriculture. Importantly, Indonesia has a vast maritime area that almost never experiences strong winds or large waves that could host floating solar capable of generating >200,000 terawatt-hours per year. Indonesia also has far more off-river pumped hydro energy storage potential than required for balancing solar generation. Full article