A holistic approach to agrivoltaics points the way to profitability

Most of Sweden’s land area is forest. Only seven per cent is arable land, and that proportion has declined over decades in favour of urban areas and infrastructure.

That is why we need to take good care of arable land for food production, argues Ananta Aacharya, a doctoral student at the Department of Biosystems and Technology at SLU. At the same time, he sees an opportunity to use the land more efficiently by installing solar panels on the fields.

– The agrivoltaic concept is about dual land use for both food and energy production, says Ananta Aacharya.

Through agrivoltaics, the farmer can increase the land’s productivity and profitability per unit of area. The shade from the panels also offers a way to reduce the need for irrigation.

– But more research is needed before we can say how the systems should be designed to work economically under northern European conditions, he says. 

Wants to find a solution to land use conflicts

Ananta Aacharya has a background in mechanical engineering. He sees the photovoltaic domain as an exciting field of research, not least given the exponential global growth in solar panels – a development which at the same time is creating conflicts over land use.

– I want to find a solution, or an alternative, to reduce these conflicts, and I saw potential for that in agrivoltaic systems, he says.

Already at master’s level he chose a research-oriented programme in which the students, unlike on a traditional master’s, carry out research and publish scientific articles. He then worked as a visiting researcher at Lund University.

– During my master’s studies I realised that research is something I love doing, and that made me apply for the doctoral position at SLU. I also like the flexibility of an academic career, the freedom to do what I find motivating.

He is also fascinated by the practical side of agrivoltaics. He is happy to step away from the computer simulations in the office to see the agricultural machinery at work in the field – something he has had the chance to do on study visits.

– I don’t really need to be there physically for my project, since all the data is logged in the systems, but I like to be involved and to gain the practical experience.

Technical challenges in agrivoltaics

Ananta Aacharya will investigate how the agrivoltaic system can be designed to optimise energy and food production, how the agricultural machinery can be adapted to the panels, and what would be a technically, environmentally and economically sound design in Sweden. 

He is simulating and analysing two panel models in terms of performance and how efficiently the machinery can be operated: vertical bifacial panels and single axis tracker.

– When we place solar panels in the field, it restricts the free movements of the agricultural machinery and we can’t use all sorts of available machines. You may then need to use smaller machines, but these may in turn require more fuel and be more time-consuming to operate.

The project also includes an analysis of production under Swedish weather conditions, suitable crops and energy requirements of the country. 

The aim is to obtain a comprehensive picture of the agrivoltaic system that can lead to well-founded recommendations for businesses.

– There is a great deal of research going on into the agrivoltaic concept, but what is missing is a holistic approach to the design of the system. That is what I am trying to achieve, he says.

Hoping for a test facility

Ananta Aacharya is collaborating with Region Skåne on the project Solbruk i Skåne. The project is currently looking for a partner willing to establish a test facility. There, Ananta Aacharya hopes to be able to carry out practical experiments in the future.

In the long term, he wants the project to help reduce land-use conflicts between food and energy production, support a transition to a low-carbon economy and improve food and energy security.

– I encounter a great deal of interest in the industry. Agrivoltaics is clearly a fascinating subject. But to answer the question of the system’s sustainability in Sweden, we need practical experience, he says.