Agrivoltaics

In the VLAIO-funded LA-project on Agrivoltaics, we will study the implementation of photovoltaics (PV) in fruit crop production systems. We will test crop performance underneath different PV lay-outs, by assessing fruit yield and quality. In collaboration with the experimental research station PC Fruit and the farmers organization Boerenbond, we will collect valuable data on pome and small fruits performance in different agrivoltaics set-ups in Flanders.

We will also focus on efficient water collection and usage strategies utilizing the PV panel run-off, to increase the water-use-efficiency by means of agrivoltaics. Our results aim to facilitate farmers to make science-based decision on the implementation of the this new agrovoltaics technology to produce energy and crops in a sustainable way on the same land.