Periodic Reporting for period 1 - REGACE (Crop Responsive Greenhouse Agrivoltaics System with CO2 Enrichment for Higher Yields)
Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2024-07-31
The main purpose of the REGACE project is to develop and validate an innovative technology for generating renewable electricity inside greenhouses year-round, while enabling constant food production. REGACE aims to prove that inside agrivoltaic solar energy generation combined with CO2 enrichment for improving crop yields is a viable year-round solution in different climates, is competitive with ground-based solutions, and is superior in environmental impact, while supporting food security concerns and creating new economic opportunities.
REGACE is strategically positioned within the EU's efforts to transition to clean energy and address climate change:
• Renewable Energy: REGACE aligns with EU goals to increase renewable energy production and reduce fossil fuel dependence. It aims to establish agrivoltaics as a major contributor to EU clean energy by generating renewable electricity in greenhouses year-round.
• Climate Change Mitigation: The project supports EU climate change objectives by developing technology for renewable electricity in greenhouses, contributing to broader climate efforts.
• Food Security: REGACE addresses land use conflicts between energy production and agriculture by enabling dual use of land, demonstrating efficient land use for both food and energy production with photovoltaic ground coverage without harming crop yields.
• Rural Development: The project aims to create new value chains and jobs in rural areas by allowing greenhouse owners to become energy producers, diversifying the energy market and generating economic opportunities.
• Innovation Policy: REGACE is validating new technologies at higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), advancing agrivoltaic technology to TRL 7.
Expected Impacts
• Agricultural Innovation: Enable continuous food production without energy constraints by integrating photovoltaic systems with CO2 and greenhouse agriculture.
• Technological Advancement: Validate a disruptive agrivoltaic system across various climates and greenhouse types.
• Environmental Benefits: Showcase environmental advantages related to land use, resource efficiency, and circularity potential. The system incorporates environmental protection measures, including reduced water consumption in agrivoltaic greenhouses compared to regular ones.
• Improved Land Use: Reduce both the environmental and landscape impact of increased photovoltaic (PV) system adoption while also lowering material use and reducing installation costs, by utilizing existing greenhouse structures.
• Water Conservation: Improve efficiency and result in water savings within greenhouses, promoting sustainable water use.
• Knowledge Generation: Produce technical protocols for system implementation in diverse environments and develop models for optimizing performance.
• Farmer Engagement: Explore farmers' perceptions of agrivoltaic technologies, facilitating broader acceptance and adoption.
REGACE is strategically positioned within the EU's efforts to transition to clean energy and address climate change:
• Renewable Energy: REGACE aligns with EU goals to increase renewable energy production and reduce fossil fuel dependence. It aims to establish agrivoltaics as a major contributor to EU clean energy by generating renewable electricity in greenhouses year-round.
• Climate Change Mitigation: The project supports EU climate change objectives by developing technology for renewable electricity in greenhouses, contributing to broader climate efforts.
• Food Security: REGACE addresses land use conflicts between energy production and agriculture by enabling dual use of land, demonstrating efficient land use for both food and energy production with photovoltaic ground coverage without harming crop yields.
• Rural Development: The project aims to create new value chains and jobs in rural areas by allowing greenhouse owners to become energy producers, diversifying the energy market and generating economic opportunities.
• Innovation Policy: REGACE is validating new technologies at higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), advancing agrivoltaic technology to TRL 7.
Expected Impacts
• Agricultural Innovation: Enable continuous food production without energy constraints by integrating photovoltaic systems with CO2 and greenhouse agriculture.
• Technological Advancement: Validate a disruptive agrivoltaic system across various climates and greenhouse types.
• Environmental Benefits: Showcase environmental advantages related to land use, resource efficiency, and circularity potential. The system incorporates environmental protection measures, including reduced water consumption in agrivoltaic greenhouses compared to regular ones.
• Improved Land Use: Reduce both the environmental and landscape impact of increased photovoltaic (PV) system adoption while also lowering material use and reducing installation costs, by utilizing existing greenhouse structures.
• Water Conservation: Improve efficiency and result in water savings within greenhouses, promoting sustainable water use.
• Knowledge Generation: Produce technical protocols for system implementation in diverse environments and develop models for optimizing performance.
• Farmer Engagement: Explore farmers' perceptions of agrivoltaic technologies, facilitating broader acceptance and adoption.
During the first 18 months of the project, the key scientific and technical accomplishments have been:
1. Installation and setup of responsive tracking systems in greenhouses across the 5 test sites in Germany, Austria, Italy and Israel (the 6th site in Greece completed shortly after the period).
2. Design and development of a new range of solar panels with various sizes and light transmission levels, tailored to the specific needs of different greenhouse structures and diverse types of agricultural crops.
3. Customization of the mechanical components of the solar system to fit the various greenhouse structures in terms of size, strength and safety, ensuring durability and efficiency under the varying conditions of each structure.
4. Initial development of CO2 enrichment protocols for the test locations, including investigating recommended CO2 levels and enrichment schedules.
5. Initial operation and testing of the responsive tracking system and software that allows users to adjust to environmental conditions in their greenhouses and meet their specific requirements.
6. Controlled experiments in phytotrons growing plants with low light at various levels and CO2 concentrations to calibrate the responsive tracking system.
7. Initial collection of baseline data on:
o PV electrical performance
o Greenhouse microclimate (temperature, humidity, radiation levels, etc.)
o CO2 levels
o Crop performance
8. Development of technical protocols for PV electrical performance testing, greenhouse microclimate monitoring, crop performance assessment, and CO2 level measurement across the sites.
9. Initial characterization of the custom bifacial PV modules, including IV curve measurements, temperature coefficients, bifaciality coefficients, and angle of incidence response.
10. Development of preliminary energy models for the greenhouse system, integrating microclimate, energy production/consumption, and crop growth.
11. First round of non-standard interviews and discussion groups with farmers in partner countries to assess initial perceptions of agrivoltaic technologies.
12. Establishment of data collection and management infrastructure to enable efficient sharing of experimental results across all testing sites and partners.
1. Installation and setup of responsive tracking systems in greenhouses across the 5 test sites in Germany, Austria, Italy and Israel (the 6th site in Greece completed shortly after the period).
2. Design and development of a new range of solar panels with various sizes and light transmission levels, tailored to the specific needs of different greenhouse structures and diverse types of agricultural crops.
3. Customization of the mechanical components of the solar system to fit the various greenhouse structures in terms of size, strength and safety, ensuring durability and efficiency under the varying conditions of each structure.
4. Initial development of CO2 enrichment protocols for the test locations, including investigating recommended CO2 levels and enrichment schedules.
5. Initial operation and testing of the responsive tracking system and software that allows users to adjust to environmental conditions in their greenhouses and meet their specific requirements.
6. Controlled experiments in phytotrons growing plants with low light at various levels and CO2 concentrations to calibrate the responsive tracking system.
7. Initial collection of baseline data on:
o PV electrical performance
o Greenhouse microclimate (temperature, humidity, radiation levels, etc.)
o CO2 levels
o Crop performance
8. Development of technical protocols for PV electrical performance testing, greenhouse microclimate monitoring, crop performance assessment, and CO2 level measurement across the sites.
9. Initial characterization of the custom bifacial PV modules, including IV curve measurements, temperature coefficients, bifaciality coefficients, and angle of incidence response.
10. Development of preliminary energy models for the greenhouse system, integrating microclimate, energy production/consumption, and crop growth.
11. First round of non-standard interviews and discussion groups with farmers in partner countries to assess initial perceptions of agrivoltaic technologies.
12. Establishment of data collection and management infrastructure to enable efficient sharing of experimental results across all testing sites and partners.
REGACE innovations are expected to go well beyond the current state of the art:
• Disruptive agrivoltaic technology: Validate an innovative responsive tracking system for greenhouses that can generate large amounts of renewable electricity year-round while enabling constant food production without energy limitations.
• High photovoltaic ground coverage: Achieve up to 40% photovoltaic ground coverage without damaging crop yields, which is significantly higher than current agrivoltaic systems.
• CO2 enrichment integration: Optimize a responsive tracking system with CO2 enrichment in greenhouses to increase both crop and electricity yields simultaneously.
• Versatile application: Demonstrate in different locations and greenhouse types across Europe, proving its feasibility, reliability, replicability, robustness, and ease of maintenance in various climates and conditions.
• Advanced modelling: Develop "digital twins" and models to optimize system performance and enable what-if studies for energy flexibility and market participation.
• Dual-use infrastructure: Utilise existing greenhouse structures for both food production and energy generation, maximizing land and infrastructure efficiency.
• Competitive cost structure: Achieve lower installed costs per kilowatt compared to ground-based photovoltaic fields, making it highly competitive.
• Year-round viability: Attain cost-effectiveness even in areas with less sunshine, expanding the potential for agrivoltaics in regions previously considered unsuitable.
• Disruptive agrivoltaic technology: Validate an innovative responsive tracking system for greenhouses that can generate large amounts of renewable electricity year-round while enabling constant food production without energy limitations.
• High photovoltaic ground coverage: Achieve up to 40% photovoltaic ground coverage without damaging crop yields, which is significantly higher than current agrivoltaic systems.
• CO2 enrichment integration: Optimize a responsive tracking system with CO2 enrichment in greenhouses to increase both crop and electricity yields simultaneously.
• Versatile application: Demonstrate in different locations and greenhouse types across Europe, proving its feasibility, reliability, replicability, robustness, and ease of maintenance in various climates and conditions.
• Advanced modelling: Develop "digital twins" and models to optimize system performance and enable what-if studies for energy flexibility and market participation.
• Dual-use infrastructure: Utilise existing greenhouse structures for both food production and energy generation, maximizing land and infrastructure efficiency.
• Competitive cost structure: Achieve lower installed costs per kilowatt compared to ground-based photovoltaic fields, making it highly competitive.
• Year-round viability: Attain cost-effectiveness even in areas with less sunshine, expanding the potential for agrivoltaics in regions previously considered unsuitable.