IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v227y2024ics0960148124005780.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Field Assessment of Vertical Bifacial Agrivoltaics with Vegetable Production: A Case Study in Lahore, Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Akbar, Asfandyar
  • Mahmood, Farrukh ibne
  • Alam, Habeel
  • Aziz, Farhan
  • Bashir, Khurram
  • Zafar Butt, Nauman

Abstract

Sustainable energy and food production face significant challenges due to the increasing population, land-use conflicts, and rapidly changing environmental conditions. Coupling solar energy and food production on the same land (Agrivoltaics; AV) could revolutionize the sustainable food-energy nexus and the land ecosystem. We explore a vertical AV system in Lahore using bifacial modules and vegetables, including okra, calabash, and potato, which is the 1st field assessment of AV in the semi-arid climate of Pakistan. Food-energy performance and microclimate were monitored across multiple seasons for the AV system having 10.5 kW nominal power capacity covering a land area of ∼85 m2. Results were compared with reference systems, including an adjacent full sun crop treatment and a nearby rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system of matched capacity installed at a standard south-tilted orientation. Crop rotation includes okra and calabash, which were grown in summer, and potato in the winter. The net biomass AV yield for okra and calabash was reduced by 15.97 % and 38.17 %, respectively, while potato yield increased by ∼8.7 % relative to the corresponding yield in the control treatment. The annual energy production for the vertical bifacial AV system was reduced by ∼25 % compared to the rooftop PV system, which is attributed mainly to the difference in their tilt and orientation. The microclimate measurements showed 26 % more soil moisture and 0.5 °C reduced air temperature for AV treatment relative to the control, demonstrating potential synergies between solar energy and crops. The soiling measurements at the AV and rooftop locations showed 1.9 % and 1.5 % daily energy loss due to the dust effect. These results indicate that AV systems offer sustainable solutions for the food-energy nexus to cater to the demands of the expanding cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Akbar, Asfandyar & Mahmood, Farrukh ibne & Alam, Habeel & Aziz, Farhan & Bashir, Khurram & Zafar Butt, Nauman, 2024. "Field Assessment of Vertical Bifacial Agrivoltaics with Vegetable Production: A Case Study in Lahore, Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:227:y:2024:i:c:s0960148124005780
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.120513
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148124005780
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2024.120513?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dupraz, C. & Marrou, H. & Talbot, G. & Dufour, L. & Nogier, A. & Ferard, Y., 2011. "Combining solar photovoltaic panels and food crops for optimising land use: Towards new agrivoltaic schemes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 2725-2732.
    2. Ullah, Asad & Imran, Hassan & Maqsood, Zaki & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2019. "Investigation of optimal tilt angles and effects of soiling on PV energy production in Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 830-843.
    3. Masahiro Kasahara & Takatoshi Kagawa & Kazusato Oikawa & Noriyuki Suetsugu & Mitsue Miyao & Masamitsu Wada, 2002. "Chloroplast avoidance movement reduces photodamage in plants," Nature, Nature, vol. 420(6917), pages 829-832, December.
    4. Dinesh, Harshavardhan & Pearce, Joshua M., 2016. "The potential of agrivoltaic systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 299-308.
    5. Amaducci, Stefano & Yin, Xinyou & Colauzzi, Michele, 2018. "Agrivoltaic systems to optimise land use for electric energy production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 545-561.
    6. Willockx, Brecht & Lavaert, Cas & Cappelle, Jan, 2023. "Performance evaluation of vertical bifacial and single-axis tracked agrivoltaic systems on arable land," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    7. Muhammad Afridi & Akash Kumar & Farrukh ibne Mahmood & GovindaSamy TamizhMani, 2023. "Comparative Analysis of Hotspot Stress Endurance in Pristine and Thermal Cycled Prestressed Glass–Glass Photovoltaic Modules," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-16, August.
    8. Greg A. Barron-Gafford & Mitchell A. Pavao-Zuckerman & Rebecca L. Minor & Leland F. Sutter & Isaiah Barnett-Moreno & Daniel T. Blackett & Moses Thompson & Kirk Dimond & Andrea K. Gerlak & Gary P. Nabh, 2019. "Agrivoltaics provide mutual benefits across the food–energy–water nexus in drylands," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(9), pages 848-855, September.
    9. Tonui, J.K. & Tripanagnostopoulos, Y., 2007. "Improved PV/T solar collectors with heat extraction by forced or natural air circulation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 623-637.
    10. Ullah, Asad & Amin, Amir & Haider, Turab & Saleem, Murtaza & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2020. "Investigation of soiling effects, dust chemistry and optimum cleaning schedule for PV modules in Lahore, Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 456-468.
    11. Pardey, Philip G. & Beddow, Jason M. & Hurley, Terrance M. & Beatty, Timothy K.M. & Eidman, Vernon R., 2014. "A Bounds Analysis of World Food Futures: Global Agriculture Through to 2050," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 58(4), October.
    12. Trommsdorff, Max & Kang, Jinsuk & Reise, Christian & Schindele, Stephan & Bopp, Georg & Ehmann, Andrea & Weselek, Axel & Högy, Petra & Obergfell, Tabea, 2021. "Combining food and energy production: Design of an agrivoltaic system applied in arable and vegetable farming in Germany," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    13. Gorjian, Shiva & Bousi, Erion & Özdemir, Özal Emre & Trommsdorff, Max & Kumar, Nallapaneni Manoj & Anand, Abhishek & Kant, Karunesh & Chopra, Shauhrat S., 2022. "Progress and challenges of crop production and electricity generation in agrivoltaic systems using semi-transparent photovoltaic technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    14. Tahir, Zamen & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2022. "Implications of spatial-temporal shading in agrivoltaics under fixed tilt & tracking bifacial photovoltaic panels," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 167-176.
    15. Katsikogiannis, Odysseas Alexandros & Ziar, Hesan & Isabella, Olindo, 2022. "Integration of bifacial photovoltaics in agrivoltaic systems: A synergistic design approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    16. Jerome Wei Chiang Teng & Chew Beng Soh & Shiddalingeshwar Channabasappa Devihosur & Ryan Hong Soon Tay & Steve Kardinal Jusuf, 2022. "Effects of Agrivoltaic Systems on the Surrounding Rooftop Microclimate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-13, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chopdar, R.K. & Sengar, N. & Giri, Nimay Chandra & Halliday, D., 2024. "Comprehensive review on agrivoltaics with technical, environmental and societal insights," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    2. Willockx, Brecht & Reher, Thomas & Lavaert, Cas & Herteleer, Bert & Van de Poel, Bram & Cappelle, Jan, 2024. "Design and evaluation of an agrivoltaic system for a pear orchard," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PB).
    3. Joshua M. Pearce, 2022. "Agrivoltaics in Ontario Canada: Promise and Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Grubbs, E.K. & Gruss, S.M. & Schull, V.Z. & Gosney, M.J. & Mickelbart, M.V. & Brouder, S. & Gitau, M.W. & Bermel, P. & Tuinstra, M.R. & Agrawal, R., 2024. "Optimized agrivoltaic tracking for nearly-full commodity crop and energy production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    5. Gorjian, Shiva & Jalili Jamshidian, Farid & Gorjian, Alireza & Faridi, Hamideh & Vafaei, Mohammad & Zhang, Fangxin & Liu, Wen & Elia Campana, Pietro, 2023. "Technological advancements and research prospects of innovative concentrating agrivoltaics," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 337(C).
    6. Mouhib, Elmehdi & Fernández-Solas, Álvaro & Pérez-Higueras, Pedro J. & Fernández-Ocaña, Ana M. & Micheli, Leonardo & Almonacid, Florencia & Fernández, Eduardo F., 2024. "Enhancing land use: Integrating bifacial PV and olive trees in agrivoltaic systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 359(C).
    7. Lee, Sangik & Lee, Jong-hyuk & Jeong, Youngjoon & Kim, Dongsu & Seo, Byung-hun & Seo, Ye-jin & Kim, Taejin & Choi, Won, 2023. "Agrivoltaic system designing for sustainability and smart farming: Agronomic aspects and design criteria with safety assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 341(C).
    8. Trommsdorff, Max & Hopf, Michaela & Hörnle, Oliver & Berwind, Matthew & Schindele, Stephan & Wydra, Kerstin, 2023. "Can synergies in agriculture through an integration of solar energy reduce the cost of agrivoltaics? An economic analysis in apple farming," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).
    9. Varo-Martínez, M. & Fernández-Ahumada, L.M. & Ramírez-Faz, J.C. & Ruiz-Jiménez, R. & López-Luque, R., 2024. "Methodology for the estimation of cultivable space in photovoltaic installations with dual-axis trackers for their reconversion to agrivoltaic plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 361(C).
    10. Fernández-Solas, Álvaro & Fernández-Ocaña, Ana M. & Almonacid, Florencia & Fernández, Eduardo F., 2023. "Potential of agrivoltaics systems into olive groves in the Mediterranean region," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 352(C).
    11. Elmehdi Mouhib & Leonardo Micheli & Florencia M. Almonacid & Eduardo F. Fernández, 2022. "Overview of the Fundamentals and Applications of Bifacial Photovoltaic Technology: Agrivoltaics and Aquavoltaics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-30, November.
    12. Mamun, Mohammad Abdullah Al & Dargusch, Paul & Wadley, David & Zulkarnain, Noor Azwa & Aziz, Ammar Abdul, 2022. "A review of research on agrivoltaic systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    13. Sojib Ahmed, M. & Rezwan Khan, M. & Haque, Anisul & Ryyan Khan, M., 2022. "Agrivoltaics analysis in a techno-economic framework: Understanding why agrivoltaics on rice will always be profitable," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    14. Sahoo, Somadutta & Zuidema, Christian & van Stralen, Joost N.P. & Sijm, Jos & Faaij, André, 2022. "Detailed spatial analysis of renewables’ potential and heat: A study of Groningen Province in the northern Netherlands," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    15. Gorjian, Shiva & Bousi, Erion & Özdemir, Özal Emre & Trommsdorff, Max & Kumar, Nallapaneni Manoj & Anand, Abhishek & Kant, Karunesh & Chopra, Shauhrat S., 2022. "Progress and challenges of crop production and electricity generation in agrivoltaic systems using semi-transparent photovoltaic technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    16. Agir, Seven & Derin-Gure, Pinar & Senturk, Bilge, 2023. "Farmers’ perspectives on challenges and opportunities of agrivoltaics in Turkiye: An institutional perspective," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 35-49.
    17. Ji, Zhengsen & Li, Wanying & Niu, Dongxiao, 2024. "Optimal investment decision of agrivoltaic coupling energy storage project based on distributed linguistic trust and hybrid evaluation method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PA).
    18. Feuerbacher, Arndt & Laub, Moritz & Högy, Petra & Lippert, Christian & Pataczek, Lisa & Schindele, Stephan & Wieck, Christine & Zikeli, Sabine, 2021. "An analytical framework to estimate the economics and adoption potential of dual land-use systems: The case of agrivoltaics," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    19. Marcin Bukowski & Janusz Majewski & Agnieszka Sobolewska, 2021. "Macroeconomic Efficiency of Photovoltaic Energy Production in Polish Farms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-19, September.
    20. Reher, Thomas & Lavaert, Cas & Willockx, Brecht & Huyghe, Yasmin & Bisschop, Jolien & Martens, Johan A. & Diels, Jan & Cappelle, Jan & Van de Poel, Bram, 2024. "Potential of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) production in vertical bifacial, tracked, or elevated agrivoltaic systems in Belgium," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 359(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:227:y:2024:i:c:s0960148124005780. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.