Land use efficient, agriculturally sound large scale photovoltaics

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

According to the EU Solar Energy Strategy, a massive increase of renewable energy (RE) - at least 32%, or 600 GWp (DC), from photovoltaic (PV) – is required in order to achieve the EU’s 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets despite rising energy use. LIFE EU LEAD-PV offers a smart and effective climate change mitigation approach by combining arable farming with large scale PV.

EU LEAD-PV places solar panels in rows between arable crops. The land is used more efficiently than it would be if used for crops only or for PV only. To improve the land equivalent ratio (LER), BayWa r.e. uses an innovative PV tracker system to align panels with the position of the sun. This simultaneously maximises energy yields and reduces negative shadowing of the panels on crops and, by placing the panels upright, allows more space for machines during treatment. EU LEAD-PV can be applied to a large variety of crops.

EU LEAD-PV offers an innovative solution in the following ways:

1. Climate change mitigation solution that can be rolled out quickly.
2. Large suitable areas are available across the EU.
3. Efficient dual land use has a higher social acceptance than large scale purely solar fields.
4. Potential cultivation benefits (reduced wind and erosion) will be examined during the project.
5. Good crop yields plus good energy yields (average 300 kWp/ha) provide a stable additional income for the farmer.
6. EU LEAD-PV’s financing model removes the hurdle of high initial investment and accelerates replication.
   

LIFE EU LEAD-PV demonstrates the replication potential by implementing sites in different climates and regions in the EU, on a scale representative of both smaller and larger farms.

The proof of concept of EU LEAD-PV has already been delivered by small pilots. Now it is necessary to take the next step and demonstrate the effectiveness of EU LEAD-PV on a business operation scale, representative of arable holdings across Europe. The total area in the EU that could benefit from EU LEAD-PV is about 3.3 m ha, or 3% of the total 112 m ha arable land in the EU.

The EU 2030 Climate Target Plan has set an emission reduction target of 100% climate neutrality by 2050. This means that PV needs to grow massively. By 2050, the amount of PV needed would require an area of more than 33,000 km2 - larger than Belgium – if using flat mounted panels. This would mean a major impact on land use, inducing growing opposition from citizens, farmers and local governments to solar farms. In addition to the energy transition, Europe faces another challenge: drought combined with wind erosion. Water scarcity during spring and summer results in wind blowing away nutrient-rich soil layers.

Currently, legislation and standards are missing for the dual use of land (agri and PV). The Contract Commercial Organisation (CCO) BayWa r.e. is a world leading company in several different Agri-PV technologies.

OBJECTIVES

• LIFE EU LEAD-PV demonstrates dual land use combining large scale PV and arable farming, as an economically attractive way of generating renewable energy without disturbing the agricultural use of land.
  
• EU LEAD-PV will also demonstrate that farmers can continue to use their cultivation techniques and farm machinery. To raise awareness of this, a demonstration plot of about three ha will be set up by EU LEAD-PV in the University of Hohenheim in Germany with high research, education and dissemination potential.
  
• Additionally the project aims to show that rows of PV panels have similar effects as agro-forestry: providing shade and lowering temperature and wind speed, thus reducing water demand and erosion by keeping soil moisture high and avoiding loss of soil due to strong winds.
  
• The impacts of Agri-PV on crop yield, soil moisture, wind speed and soil erosion will be monitored across all implementation sites by direct ex-ante and ex-post measurements, and by comparing nearby fields without agri-PV as a baseline. The project will contract research organisations for the solid monitoring and evaluation of the results.
  
• Although the primary focus is climate mitigation through renewable energy generation in cooperation with the farming sector, the expected reductions in soil loss and water consumption also supports adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change.
  
• Furthermore, the project provides a method of shared financing whereby farmers can chose their financial commitment from zero to full investment in the transition to agri-PV. This financing model removes the hurdle of high initial investment and accelerates replication.
  
• An additional focus is on the legislation and standards needed to enable dual land use for agri-PV and to simplify its implementation in the demonstration countries and regions and elsewhere.

RESULTS

• Including competitors following BayWa r.e.'s example, a total installed capacity of 40 GWp (DC) in 2032 (equivalent to 29 Mt CO2 avoided per year and EUR 33.1 bn investment) seem realistic. This would equal 5% of the 740 GWp (DC) EU target mentioned above.
• Within the project period, two full-size demonstration sites using EU LEAD-PV technology will be set up 1) on 10 ha of arable land in Spain with 3.54 MWp (DC) and 2) on 2 ha in Italy with 815 kWp (DC). This reflects average farm sizes in the two regions.
• A demonstration field at the University of Hohenheim in Germany adds another 3 ha/0.8 MWp demonstration site where farmers, researchers, local authorities, land managers and other interested parties can learn about EU LEAD-PV technology.
• Total investment will amount to EUR 3.9 m with EUR 292,000 annual gross revenue from renewable energy.
• Following the completion of the project, the COO aims to apply the EU LEAD-PV solution to about 8,333 ha (2.5 GWp) by 2032. As the concept will not be exclusive, other companies can become involved, with the ultimate potential of adapting 133,000 ha (40 GWp) in that period – a total EUR 33 bn investment and nearly EUR 2 bn annual gross revenue from power generation.
• GHG emission reduction: 3,694 t/CO2eq/year across the project sites (29 Mt/year by 2032)
• Renewable energy generation: 8,088 MWh/year (60 TWh/year by 2032)
• The project will prove a LER of 110-120%.
• Professional monitoring and evaluation study of the impacts.
• An overview of hindering or supporting legislation or policies in Europe will be compiled and the beneficiary will be in contact with policy makers on local, national and EU level.
• The project expects additional 109 FTE employment (270,000 FTE by 2032).