Researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia have analyzed the site-specific challenges of deploying agrivoltaics and other multi-use solar energy landscapes.
The team’s research paper, available in the journal Nature Sustainability, reviews qualitative and quantitative data, including existing field-level studies, to assess the global synergies and trade-offs in agrivoltaics, ecovoltaics and solar grazing.
The work encompasses consideration of differing microclimates, soil conditions, local economic impacts and stakeholder perspectives in co-located solar projects globally.
The research paper finds that the benefits of agrivoltaics are highly site-specific, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all resilience strategy, and require consideration of local economic impacts, ecosystem services and stakeholder perspectives during design and implementation to develop an optimal multi-use system. Such considerations can also help to minimize potential negative impacts and trade-offs, which were also found to be often site-specific.
The research team told pv magazine that rather than promoting agrivoltaics as a universal solution for all farmers and solar developers, the study highlights the importance of tailoring systems to local conditions.
“Critical factors influencing agrivoltaics performance and viability include solar array design, farm size, the type of co-located crops, vegetation, or pasture, prevailing climatic and resource conditions, and socio-cultural practices,” the researchers said. “For example, urban agrivoltaics systems will differ significantly in design and outputs compared to rural ones, and rural applications in developing countries will face distinct constraints and opportunities compared to those in developed regions.”
In the research paper, the team suggests that, as a rule of thumb, solar PV projects should be adopted in areas where ecosystem services can be improved or expanded.
The paper also highlights the need for further research that focuses on supporting sustainable deployment across rural, urban, and off-grid communities, noting that analysis of changes in the technical, environmental, social and economic aspects of co-located systems remains in the early stages of investigation.
“While regulatory and policy barriers may protect conservational lands, they can also restrict the emergence of small-scale grid-independent energy production that can provide food and energy security for off-grid, low-income and climate change and hazard-prone communities,” the paper concludes.
Temple University’s Caroline Merheb, lead author of the paper, commented that she was amazed by the breadth of potential co-benefits that co-located systems can offer across environmental, socioeconomic and technical dimensions.
“Significant effort has been dedicated by researchers and stakeholders to advancing this field, particularly as agrivoltaics gains growing social acceptance,” Merheb told pv magazine. “I hope this paper can serve as a foundational reference for policymakers to begin prioritizing regulatory frameworks that safeguard the interests of all stakeholders.”
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