#61 Harvesting Sunlight: Exploring Agro Photovoltaics (with Marta Victoria, Aarhus University)
In today's episode, we discuss the emerging field of agrophotovoltaics (agri-PV) with Marta Victoria, an associate professor specializing in solar photovoltaics and energy systems modeling at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. We learn about the basic concept of agro-PV, combining agriculture and solar panels on farmland, and discuss its benefits, geographical viability, challenges, and the use of different crops. Marta explains various installation methods—horizontal and vertical setups—and addresses concerns regarding material consumption, reduced solar panel yield due to crop shadows, and potential collaborations with irrigation systems to optimize water usage. The ongoing HyPErFarm Project aims to create real installations in Germany, Belgium, and Denmark to study and implement agro-PV systems, focusing on crop-solar panel interactions, irrigation integration, and overall efficiency.