Oslo, Norway (23. Apr. 2024) — Glint Solar, KiloWattsol, Danish Renewables, and Fraunhofer ISE have joined forces on a research project to integrate photovoltaic (PV) technology with agriculture, aimed at accelerating the adoption of Agri-PV. This initiative, crucial for advancing European PV development amidst widespread land scarcity, seeks to address the pressing need for more detailed research into the effects on agricultural crop yield, PV production, and water consumption. The development of a specialized software tool tailored for utility-scale developers aims to provide deeper insights and support to the deployment of solar energy across Europe.
The research project directly addresses the pressing global challenges of a projected 50% increase in agricultural production and a 15% increase in water demand by 2050—both vital for sustaining the expected population of 9 billion. In addition to optimizing energy output and reducing water consumption, the project aligns with the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive, which calls for 45% of energy to come from renewable sources by 2030.
In accordance with REPowerEU’s plan to boost PV capacity to 1000 GW by 2030, Agri-PV is poised to play a crucial role in this expansion.
The consortium will conduct a comprehensive review of current research, develop new models, construct test sites for validation, and implement the findings into an easy-to-use software tool. This tool is currently in development and is planned to be integrated into the Glint Solar platform. Once available, it aims to assist solar developers in efficiently identifying land suitable for Agri-PV, designing and evaluating optimal layouts, and assessing potential impacts on agricultural yields and energy production.
Harald Olderheim, CEO and Co-founder at Glint Solar commented: “Agri-PV represents a rapidly expanding sector within the solar market, and we're thrilled to collaborate with these industry-leading partners in this field. This project exemplifies how Glint Solar is continually working to bring the latest insights to solar developers so that they can build their project portfolios faster.”
Xavier Daval, CEO of kiloWattsol commented: “The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly severe, and we have no choice but to contribute to the emergence of solar solutions where the surface of panels does more than just produce electricity. Deploying PV on agricultural land must participate in solving the problem, not exacerbating it.”
Esben Christensen, CEO of Danish Renewables: “One main challenge with the development of solar projects is that renewable energy often competes with agricultural land, forcing a trade-off between clean energy and food production. AgriPV has the potential to change that, by transforming the trade-off relationship into a relation of synergy that can be seen as the holy grail within solar energy. However, we, as a company, and as an industry, need to systematically change our processes, ensuring that AGRI-PV is not only sustainable but also economically viable.“
Lisa-Marie Bieber, Project Manager at Fraunhofer ISE: ”In Agri-PV research it is therefore essential not only to collect practical data but also to make it available to those who implement systems. This is the only way to ensure rapid development.”
About Glint Solar
Founded in 2020, Glint Solar's mission is to accelerate the global adoption of solar energy. The company helps both global and local solar developers rapidly build their greenfield project pipelines through advanced technology and collaborative research, and provides an accurate, easy-to-use project development software solution.
About KiloWattsol
Established over 15 years ago, KiloWattsol is renowned for its technical, scientific, and commercial expertise in solar projects. As an independent solar consultant based in France, the company is instrumental in developing agrivoltaic projects and has co-founded France Agrivoltaisme, the world's first trade body for the Agri-PV sector.
About Danish Renewables
Founded in Copenhagen in 2017 by Esben Christensen, Danish Renewables leverages more than a decade of experience in renewable energy project development coupled with a desire to take part in developing projects not only in the places where it is the easiest but also in the places where it is most needed. Danish Renewables contributes its expertise and experience from building and operating solar power plants in both technological and economic areas.
About Fraunhofer ISE
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, based in Freiburg, Germany, is Europe's largest solar research institute. With approximately 1400 employees, Fraunhofer ISE is committed to promoting a sustainable, economically viable, secure, and socially equitable energy supply system based on renewable sources. The institute plays a pivotal role in the research and implementation of Agri-PV in Germany.
For further information, please contact:
Praachi Verma
Head of Marketing at Glint Solar
praachi@glintsolar.co
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