Agrivoltaics for farmers with shadow and electricity demand: Results of a Pre-feasibility Study under Net Billing in Central Chile

Abstract

Agrivoltaics has only limited commercial application, despite its potential to adapt agriculture to the effects of the climate crisis. Looking for an answer on how agrivoltaics can achieve commercial breakthrough, we assume that agrivoltaics provides synergetic value to agriculture depending on the context. We perform a Techno-Economic Assessment based on the case of a horticulture farm in central Chile, where high irradiation causes adverse effects to lettuce. This allows us to monetize agrivoltaics synergetic characteristics of maintaining cropland and providing shading. We present a low-cost agrivoltaics design adapted to Chilean horticulture and find that the consideration of the agricultural context leads to a higher Net Present Value and shorter payback period for an agrivoltaics plant compared to a ground-mounted photovoltaic plant. This implies that a decisive step towards commercial success is identifying the right agricultural context, where agrivoltaics can create economic synergies for agriculture by providing climatic protection.