Europe needs smart solutions to reduce its dependence on energy. One of these innovations is agricultural photovoltaics.
Competition between land for food production and space for solar equipment is intensifying. Instead of traditional plastic greenhouses and glass greenhouses, Swiss startup Insolight has introduced translucent solar panels that effectively avoid covering agricultural land. Insolight's solar modules convert electricity and provide adjustable shade for crops. This patented technology will accelerate the development of photovoltaic agriculture - large-scale solar installations no longer simply occupy land or farmland, thereby benefiting both farmers and solar developers. Insolight was awarded the "Efficient Solution Label" by Bertrand Piccard's Solar Impulse Foundation.
Insolight's new generation of photovoltaic technology differs from traditional opaque rooftop solar panels and has the potential to become an important agricultural tool for crops.
Since 2021, Insolight has collaborated with several agricultural research institutes to build a number of experimental sites using its solar installations. The project is supported by the Swiss Federal Energy Agency (SFOE) and Swiss retail giant Migros, among others. The main objective of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of the Insolight programme by obtaining data and experience on a large scale, across different crops and regions; At the same time, the tracking algorithm is adjusted according to the relevant data to intelligently adjust the shading Angle of the solar panel on the crop and the time arrangement of energy storage and power generation.
Crops tested so far include raspberries, strawberries, cherries and blueberries, and sites have been selected in different climates, including the south of France and the Netherlands. According to Insolight's calculations, the total installation cost of the photovoltaic system on a one-hectare berry farm is around 1 million euros. And they said that the use of dynamic dimming photovoltaic devices, compared to traditional greenhouses and plastic greenhouses have a certain advantage, because photovoltaic panels can resist heavy rain, frost or hail.
In Europe, photovoltaic agriculture has become a hot topic and continues to heat up. Both the French and German governments have designated photovoltaic agriculture technology as a core pillar of their energy strategy, showing the general trend and mainstream position of photovoltaic agriculture in the future development of agriculture. Germany, France and Italy have established a legal framework for agricultural photovoltaics, which is very helpful for the development of the industry.
