BayWa RE has completed its first “agri-PV” project for redcurrants in the Netherlands.
The redcurrants grown on Rini Kusters’ fruit farm in Wadenoijen are now protected by a new, permanent cultivation support facility, comprising PV panels.
The coverage provided by the solar array eliminates the need for plastic arches, providing protection against extreme weather and helping maintain a more stable climatic environment for growing fruits and generating green energy at the same time.
BayWa RE and its Dutch subsidiary GroenLeven expanded the original installation, first set up as a pilot project in 2020, to 1.2MW with more than 4500 solar panels.
First trials were carried out in 2019, where two types of panels including a semi-transparent variant, were tested with raspberries.
In 2020, in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research, the trial was expanded to include other pilots.
Each looked at the effectiveness of installing solar panels above different types of soft fruit, including Rini Kusters’ redcurrants.
Results showed that the installation of solar panels created both favourable lower temperatures for the plants and better protection from adverse weather conditions.
BayWa RE is planning additional agri-PV projects in Europe, together with pear, apple and other fruits producers, with a total capacity of 35MW by 2022.
BayWa RE agri-PV product manager Stephan Schindele said: “These pilot projects were a real success.
“We monitored not only the climate under the panels, but also the plant health and fruit growth.
“We had already created one of the largest and most technologically sophisticated ‘fruitvoltaic’ solutions in Europe in 2020, with our 2.67MW raspberry PV installation in Babberich.
“Today, we are very excited to continue this fantastic journey and see our efforts rewarded by entering a new chapter of agri-PV with a new berry crop in Wadenoijen.”
Kusters added: “Weather excesses are becoming more and more common, and they are harmful to the plants.
“The development of fungus on the fruit due to a too wet climate for example, is a problem that is increasingly frequent.
“On the hottest day last year it was 10 degrees cooler under the solar panels. On the wettest day, the plants remained dry. It’s a solution that I really believe in.”