I Heart the 80s…and Agrivoltaics

Agrivoltaics are “not just an energy solution or a water solution…[They] solve the food-energy-water nexus,” affirmed Miles Braxton, CEO and founder of Okovate Sustainable Energy, a US-based agrivoltaic developer. When we spoke, I learned about his company’s efforts to reduce water use in an industry he identified as “the most water intense…in the world.” One result of climate change is the loss of crop resiliency due to increased drought, flood, and extreme weather. With agrivoltaics, Braxton affirmed that “the panels over the top of the soil… lower the evaporation rate out of the soil by 15-30%,” reducing farmers’ water costs by about 10%. 

In addition to saving water and money, agrivoltaics tangibly increase agricultural yields. Braxton calls the area underneath the solar panel the “cultivation haven,” a protected place for crops to thrive. In the shade beneath the panels, biodiversity flourishes, attracting pollinators and reducing fertilizer costs for farmers.

What’s more, temperature regulation is improved with agrivoltaics. In the warm months, the microclimate of the crops works to keep the panels cool. The panels insulate the farmland in winter like the world’s most productive comforter.

While incredibly successful, Braxton’s company focuses on America, where electrification rates hover around 100%. Worldwide, however, the energy access challenge looms large, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where 593 million people lack access to electricity – that’s 77% of the global total. In a recent study, two more German scientists – Nora Adelhardt and Jessica Berneiser – analyze the potential risk factors and benefits of agrivoltaics in East Africa. Interestingly, Bernesiser works with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), the organization founded by Adolf Goetzberger, one of the fathers of this technology.

According to the International Labor Organization, over half of the working population in SSA are in the agriculture sector. In this region, lack of adequate rainfall is one culprit for low productivity, an issue that agrivoltaics is poised to solve. In a forthcoming study (to be published May 15 in the journal Applied Energy, Adelhardt and Berneiser investigate

four main questions:

1. What are the main risk factors when implementing agrivoltaics at a community level in SSA?
2. What is the perceived probability and the anticipated severity of these potential risks in the event of occurrence?[HR1] 
3. Do experts foresee different risks for agrivoltaic and ground-mounted photovoltaic projects?
4. What are potential mitigation strategies to diminish risks?

Through stakeholder interviews and quantitative online surveys, Adelhardt and Berneiser constructed a picture of the state of agrivoltaics in SSA. The sample size consisted of 58 business, political, research, and nonprofit professionals in rural electrification.

Agrivoltaic systems are complex, making them risky. The complexity of their design, implementation, and long-term operation sets them apart from other energy systems. Even with these risks, the researchers found that “decentralized renewable energy solutions in rural SSA communities” have the power to “alleviate energy poverty and contribute to sustainable development.”

In addition to addressing the energy access issue, agrivoltaics contribute to excellent food production and water management on land. Addressing financial risks associated with investing in agrivoltaics will be critical to the long-term sustainability of these projects. Most success will be seen when financial support is secured at the outset, and there is a strong connection between community members and financial institutions. By designing projects with stakeholder engagement and long-term community involvement, agrivoltaics could significantly contribute to solving the food-energy-water nexus. From research institutes in Germany to farms in Namibia, agrivoltaics are putting solar in the front and crops in the back – a style I hope is here to stay.