Twin Harvest: Agrivoltaics Enhance Meals & Power Manufacturing in Asia

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Each autumn morning at an aquaculture web site close to the mouth of the Yellow River in China’s Dongying Metropolis, Shandong Province, farmers start packaging shrimp for his or her prospects. Their harvest is more and more extra bountiful because of an revolutionary manner of farming that integrates renewable power into agriculture.

Right here, photo voltaic photovoltaic (PV) panels have been put in a number of meters above the water, serving to to generate an annual 260 gigawatts-hours of power — sufficient to energy 113,000 households in China. Since its completion and grid connection in 2021, the farmers have additionally gained many advantages.

Past offering clear power to the fishery, the photo voltaic panels preserve water temperatures persistently 2 to three levels C (3.6 to five.4 levels F) cooler than outside ponds with out panels, boosting shrimp and sea cucumber yields by 50%. The solar energy firm that put in the panels leases the house, serving to to cut back farming prices whereas additionally paying for enhancements and modernization to aquaculture web site, reminiscent of higher pond embankments and irrigation techniques.

These developments are essential for the longer term progress of the fishery trade in Shandong Province. In 2019, the complete financial output of the fishery sector of Shandong Province reached $62.3 billion, representing 15.6% of China’s complete fishery output.

Agrivoltaics Boosts Clear Power & Meals Manufacturing

The idea of aquaculture-photovoltaic integration is a type of what’s referred to as agrivoltaics, which generally integrates conventional agricultural practices reminiscent of crop cultivation, livestock farming and fisheries with photo voltaic PV installations, maximizing using obtainable house. This dual-layered system helps the traditional manufacturing of each meals and electrical energy, thereby permitting revenue to stream in from each sources.

In a world the place world power demand is hovering and using agricultural land for meals manufacturing is more and more displaced by renewable power tasks (reminiscent of for photo voltaic and wind farms, or rising crops reminiscent of corn and soy for biofuels), agrivoltaics has emerged as a win-win answer for sustainable power and agriculture.

This idea has already been utilized all through the world, together with Europe, america and components of Asia.

China’s pioneering efforts since 2011 with greater than 500 agrivoltaics tasks — together with crop cultivation, livestock grazing, aquafarming, greenhouses and tea plantations — in response to a forthcoming WRI report, present important insights for additional growth throughout the area.

For instance, nations like Indonesia and the Philippines in Southeast Asia may probably profit from agrivoltaics however have but to implement many important tasks. The area’s plentiful daylight and huge agricultural landscapes can harness photo voltaic power whereas sustaining crop manufacturing. There’s additionally an outsized want within the area to steadiness its land sources for each clear power and meals manufacturing within the face of a rising inhabitants and urgency to cut back emissions.

The Symbiotic Advantages for Meals and Power Manufacturing

Within the land-scarce central and jap areas of China, agrivoltaics emerged after authorities insurance policies inspired the event of PV tasks, however the identical land was wanted for meals manufacturing. So, corporations built-in these tasks collectively.

Folks quickly realized that the photo voltaic panels may do extra than simply produce electrical energy. The panels can supply vegetation and animals safety from excessive warmth and drought by offering partial shade. Research additionally point out agrivoltaics can scale back water evaporation by 30%. Accompanying upgrades to agricultural infrastructure, which may typically contribute to the automation and mechanization of the farm, might also assist to extend crop yields, particularly in areas with extreme daylight and excessive temperatures.

The advantages prolong to the photo voltaic panels as properly. Research present that photo voltaic panels mounted over vegetation exhibit significantly decrease floor temperatures than these mounted over naked floor. This cooling impact has a direct influence on the photo voltaic panels’ effectivity, as modules usually expertise effectivity losses starting from 0.1% to 0.5% for each diploma Celsius enhance above 25 levels C (77 levels F).

Agrivoltaics can even supply farmers a further revenue stream both by leasing the land to photo voltaic PV corporations or, if the land-agreement is reversed, by way of cultivating the land at a lot decrease prices, mitigating the influence of fluctuating crop yields and market costs. For instance, these leasing agreements present farmers with a constant and foreseeable revenue from the land and obviate the necessity for farmers to fund the photo voltaic installations themselves.

Past financial advantages, agrivoltaics can improve power independence and reliability. Agrivoltaic techniques contribute to decentralized renewable power era, which reduces reliance on centralized energy grids, particularly in rural communities. The event and upkeep of agrivoltaics techniques additionally creates employment alternatives in rural areas — stimulating the native economic system and fostering sustainable livelihoods. Moreover, the co-location of photo voltaic panels with agricultural actions optimizes land utilization, selling environment friendly utilization of renewable power sources and minimizing land-use conflicts, which have traditionally taken place after farmland was diverted for renewable power tasks.

Classes from China’s Agrivoltaics Tasks

Examples of agrivoltaics, like a greenhouse undertaking in Hainan and a livestock grazing undertaking in Inside Mongolia, are among the many many tasks in China that provide invaluable classes for Southeast Asia and different areas looking for to harness the potential of agrivoltaics.

Hainan’s Photovoltaic Greenhouses

In Hainan, China, photovoltaic greenhouses mix photo voltaic panels with farming, enhancing crop progress and decreasing greenhouse fuel emissions by offering clear electrical energy to energy grids. The photo voltaic corporations lease land for photo voltaic PV undertaking improvement and concurrently present it without charge to agricultural corporations for vegetable cultivation. This method not solely conserves land-leasing bills, but additionally ensures year-round manufacturing, unaffected by opposed climate, reminiscent of typhoons and rainstorms. Present PV greenhouse tasks with a complete capability of two GW in Hainan are able to supplying leafy greens to round 3 million individuals, protecting about 30% of the province’s inhabitants, all year long.

Inside Mongolia’s Photovoltaic Livestock Grazing Tasks

Inside Mongolia’s 1 MW photovoltaic livestock grazing undertaking was established by way of authorities grants and personal herder investments, pioneering a mix of renewable power and conventional pastoral practices. This 1 MW photo voltaic PV energy station, with land leased to a livestock firm, generates income from electrical energy gross sales to the grid, which is distributed as dividends to herders primarily based on their possession stakes. The annual return fee to herders is 20%, whereas the remainder of the income is used for the local people’s infrastructure improvement.

This profitable pilot undertaking has inspired extra herder involvement in PV grazing tasks in one of many sunniest areas in China. The grassland space of Inside Mongolia reaches 48.7 million hectares (730 million Chinese language mu), accounting for 41% of the complete land space within the area and about a fifth of China’s pasture space. Its annual photo voltaic radiation is 2,164 kilowatt-hours per sq. meter, in response to the International Photo voltaic Atlas and native authorities leaders. This makes Inside Mongolia some of the useful photo voltaic power areas in China.

Potential for Increasing Agrivoltaics in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia presents a wealthy tapestry of alternatives for implementing agrivoltaic tasks in addition to some challenges. The put in photo voltaic capability in Southeast Asia has already been rising persistently. As an example, in 2023, the photo voltaic market in Southeast Asia expanded by 17% in comparison with 2022, with 3 GW of latest installations. That is complemented by a robust pipeline of tasks that might considerably improve the area’s photo voltaic capability, indicating a sturdy future for photo voltaic power improvement.

Nonetheless, the profitable implementation of agrivoltaic techniques in Southeast Asia faces a number of challenges. Progress within the area is hindered by the convoluted coverage framework and the necessity for strategic land-use planning. As well as, nations like Philippines and Indonesia, that are archipelagic nations, require expertise and insurance policies particular to the native politics, the pivotal function of village cooperatives and panorama.

Some measures to deal with these challenges may embody:

• Coverage Alignment:  A unified coverage framework, like what’s noticed in France and different nations, may assist streamline allow processes and acknowledge the multifaceted worth of agrivoltaics.
• Native Authorities Engagement: The energetic involvement of native governments is essential for the profitable rollout of agrivoltaic tasks. Drawing upon the experiences of nations like China, the place native authorities management has been instrumental in agrivoltaics success, the Philippines and Indonesia can foster partnerships and alignment between city builders and native leaders. These partnerships may assist catalyze the expansion and acceptance of agrivoltaics on the grassroots degree, guaranteeing that tasks align with native wants and priorities.
• Strategic Land Use and Functionality Improvement: Given the connection between agriculture and photo voltaic power in agrivoltaics, specialised analysis for every area is crucial to gauge the optimum configurations between assorted crops and photo voltaic installations. Furthermore, an in depth case-by-case foundation technique, tailor-made to the precise situations and aims of a rustic and its traders, is essential for the profitable and sustainable deployment of those techniques.
• Group Cooperation and Possession: Constructing upon the Indonesian mannequin of village cooperatives, early and constant engagement with native communities, coupled with a eager understanding of their wants and aspirations, can foster belief and a collaborative spirit. By intertwining the undertaking’s targets with group aspirations, stakeholders can successfully navigate challenges and uncertainties, guaranteeing that agrivoltaics deliver shared advantages to all events concerned. Group possession and engagement are paramount.
• Capability Constructing and Technical Assist: Empowering native stakeholders with the required technical data can also be necessary for the long-term sustainability of agrivoltaic techniques. Addressing the technical help challenges, particularly in far-flung areas, is significant. Establishing regional expertise hubs or partnering with academic establishments may assist. Such collaborations couldn’t solely scale back technical response instances, but additionally elevate the broader understanding of distributed applied sciences in these areas.

 Reaching a Vivid Future for Agrivoltaics in Asia

Agrivoltaics presents a promising answer to the advanced activity of harmonizing power manufacturing and agriculture. By drawing inspiration from China’s experiences and customizing methods to the native context, this method may assist drive financial progress, promote sustainable power and ship environmental advantages.

Realizing the total potential of agrivoltaics would require collaboration, coverage alignment and capability constructing. But when profitable, agrivoltaics may help pave the best way to a extra sustainable and affluent future.

Chen Jing, a postdoctoral researcher at Tsinghua College’s Faculty of Social Sciences within the Power Transition and Social Improvement Analysis Heart, contributed to this text.

By Jose Gabriel Silan, Shengnian Xu, and Marlon Joseph Apanada, Article courtesy of WRI.

Photos courtesy of WRI China. Featured picture courtesy of Argonne Nationwide Laboratory.