SOLAR SOLUTIONS
FARM-FRIENDLY ENERGY THE HARMONIOUS PROMISE OF AGRIVOLTAICS iStock.com/panaramka
Could shared solar be a win-win for rural communities and the renewable energy industry?
W
hen large-scale solar installations are proposed for rural areas, the reception is not always positive. Concerns raised by regional communities in Australia, for example, have included potential unsightliness, loss of agricultural land and negative environmental impact.1 There is one type of solar arrangement that might be viewed more favourably, however. Researchers at the University of Bonn
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have recently investigated attitudes towards agrivoltaics: solar arrays that are installed in spaces simultaneously used for agriculture, such as on pastures or as a canopy over grapevines. According to a survey of almost 2000 people, this form enjoys notably higher acceptance than normal solar parks. The team’s study has been published in the journal Land Use Policy.2 Hendrik Zeddies, from the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn, explained that while agrivoltaics arrays usually reduce agricultural yield, they sometimes also create synergies. “For example, the solar cells can be used as a transparent canopy to protect fruit
trees or grapevines from hailstones or harsh sunlight. On wheat fields, they often serve as wind protection — similar to a wall or a hedge,” he said.
Compare the pair
The online survey initiated by Zeddies and his colleagues Dr Martin Parlasca and Prof Dr Matin Qaim, Director of the ZEF, involved almost 2000 men and women from Germany, chosen to reflect a cross-section of the German population with regard to age, sex, education, income and state of residency. They were initially given information on the advantages and disadvantages of agrivoltaics and conventional solar parks on open land. >
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