AMAN MEHTA
Bsc.Ag
Rampur-Chitwan
Agrivoltaics, also known as agro-photovoltaics, is the co-development of land for both solar photovoltaic power and agriculture. Solar panels and crops coexisting implies a sharing of light between these two types of production. Adolf Goetzberger and Armin Zastrow first proposed this technique in 1981. In 2011, the term "agrivoltaic" was coined.
When trying to discuss the combination of Energy and Agriculture, the term "Agro-Voltaic" was introduced, where energy is defined as solar energy. Agriculture is a natural process of cultivating and harvesting plants and raising livestock that has enabled human civilization to thrive over the ages and generation after generation.
Solar energy, on the other hand, is simply the converted energy (which is highly unstable solar radiation) that is commonly used for human purposes.
Unlike other methods of agriculture that are done for "food production only," Agrovoltaic is a new dimension of agriculture that deals with the dual use of land "for food production and energy generation."
Why Agri-Voltaic??
Agri-Voltaic is the type of farm which,with the solar panel set up at sufficient height above, is suitable for use for just a few acres of land to hundreds of hectares. It comes with the idea of a Food-Energy-Water eco-friendly synergy which counters not only today's fiery issues such as global hunger but also soil sustainable alongside climate action, poverty, industrial innovation and infrastructures, responsible consumption and production,etc.
How Does an Agro-Voltaic System Work??
The plants, protected from the worst midday rays of the sun by solar panels, become small evaporative coolers in the scenery. By opening their pores or stomata,they take carbon for photosynthesis and allow water to run from its leaves and create a cooler microclimate,thus accelerating the rate of photosynthesis.
When operating under the bright sun, solar panel modules can lose efficiency. But due to this cooler microclimate of plants, the panels operate at a higher level. The panels protect the plants against dehydration and sunburn which results in a better crop yield and more efficient performance of solar array.The crop can be irrigated with relatively less amount of water,also in shady environment “water and moisture” tends to stay for longer period of time(plant tends to spread out to capture more sunlight which in turns cause plant leaves to grow bigger).
Because farmers can grow and use the same space to generate money from solar production, the reason for agribusiness technology is so beneficial to farmers.
Advantages:
Shade-resistant cucumbers and irrigation-watered salads could save 14-29% evaporation at levels under solar panels. Agrivoltaics may be used for cultivation or for areas with an imperative water efficiency. For a growing season, a study was carried out on heat-air and cultivation under solar panels, While the air under the panels remained constant,the soil and plants recorded lower temperatures. In general, photovoltaic arrays produce a relatively low amount of greenhouse gases, which is far less than traditional forms of energy generation than the emissions generated during the lifetime.If economically viable, a dual land use could in future ease competitiveness for land resources in agriculture and energy production and allow less pressure to convert the natural environment into more agricultural land. Solar power, coupled with shade-tolerant crop production, has led to an economic increase of more than 30% for farms that deploy agri-voltaic rather than conventional farming.
Because of the microclimate they produce and the adverse effect of heat and water flow control, agrivoltaics would be helpful in summer crops. It is an Eco-friendly, clean and cheap source of energy generation dealing positively with Global Energy crises and Climate changes.The technique is very much helpful in conversion of desert and barren areas into suitable arable land (Manang-Mustang).
Rapid population growth, urbanisation, industrialization and harsh climate action have resulted in agricultural land shortages and quality degradation. Therefore,agrivoltaic is a concept which focuses not only on the production of food energy and the conservation of water but on maximum and sustainable use of present agricultural land that ultimately addresses the global crisis of hunger.
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