Performance of land productivity with single-axis trackers and shade-intolerant crops in agrivoltaic systems

We developed a comprehensive tool that integrates both crop and photovoltaic modeling, aiming to optimize the design of agrivoltaic (APV) tracking systems. Using this tool, we evaluated the land productivity of a large-scale bifacial APV system with single-axis trackers in Germany. We simulated the growth of shade-tolerant (potato) and intolerant crops (maize) across various tracker configurations, including row spacing, clearance height, and azimuth. Our findings reveal a clear relationship between tracker row spacing and land productivity across different crops, with variations depending on their shade tolerance. Interestingly, increasing tracker height does not enhance land productivity; instead, it diminishes the attractiveness of utilizing land for dual purposes. However, adjusting only the tracker orientation noticeably improves land productivity. Under APV tracking systems with 40% PV module density, we observed a 42% loss in energy production compared to traditional PV systems. Additionally, there were significant crop production losses, with potatoes experiencing a 32% reduction and maize suffering an 66% decrease. Finally, we introduced simplified crop yield models tailored for shade-tolerant and intolerant crops, which can be seamlessly integrated with existing PV design software, offering practical insights for APV system optimization.