Italian solar sector sets standards for agrivoltaics – pv magazine International
A document compiled by three Italian renewable energy associations identifies with pinpoint accuracy the area allowed to be used for electricity generation in the two most common agrivoltaic configurations – solar panels with raised solar modules and deployed photovoltaic systems between crop rows.
The Italian renewable energy associations ANIE Rinnovabili, Italia Solare and Elettricità Futura have published a joint position paper defining a series of standards for agrivoltaic projects.
The document identifies with extreme precision the area that is permitted to be used for electricity generation in the two most common agrivoltaic configurations – solar panels with raised solar modules and photovoltaic systems deployed between crop rows.
“The calculation of this the surface is different in the two categories of agrivoltaic systems identified and consistent with the high volume of agricultural activity guaranteed by each model,” the three trade bodies in a statement. “To help identify a clear scope for this type of system, the document identifies minimum and incremental requirements that distinguish different levels of integration between the agricultural and photovoltaic sectors. »
As for the first category, the Italian association clarified that these can be built either with fixed structures or with solar trackers, and that the solar modules must be placed at a minimum height of 2.1 m in order to ensuring full agricultural activity and, at the same time, ensuring the creation of a micro-climate that is colder than usual in the summer and warmer in the winter months.
the PV systems deployed between crop rows, which have been defined as inter-row systems, can also be built with fixed structures and trackers and developed with different project designs, including vertically mounted panels. “Inter-row systems can also be designed to have multiple rows of modules to optimize crop yield,” the document says.
Furthermore, according to the document, a photovoltaic project combined with agriculture, to be compatible with the proposed standards, must meet three main requirements: the authorization of experts such as an agronomist or a zootechnician, depending on the activity agricultural; the adoption of an agricultural yield monitoring system; and limit the area of non-agricultural activity to 30% of the total project area.
The three associations add that projects based on raised modules must be prioritized, because their deployment allows full agricultural continuity.
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