RWE, together with Forschungszentrum Jülich, is cooperating on an agrivoltaics demonstration project in Germany.
The facility will be developed o in Titz-Jackerath (district of Düren) on the edge of the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine.
In the scheme, solar power will be generated on a recultivation area of around seven hectares and at the same time agriculture and horticulture will be established.
The research project is funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Start of construction planned for mid-2023.
Three different agriphotovoltaic concepts are planned for the plant in Jackerath.
In the first variant, the solar modules are to be mounted firmly and vertically, with enough space between the rows of modules for harvesting machines.
In the second variant, the modules are also arranged in rows, but are mounted horizontally and automatically tracked depending on the position of the sun.
This is intended to optimise the yield of the PV system and provide additional space for the farmer.
In the third variant, the PV modules are mounted elevated on a pergola-like substructure, where crops such as raspberries or blueberries can be grown underneath.
The planned demonstration plant will have a capacity of over 2MW.