© Fraunhofer ISE

Agri-PV at Fraunhofer ISE

Research & Development - Services

Fraunhofer ISE is the largest solar energy research center in Europe. At our location in Freiburg in Breisgau, the group agrivoltaics conducts research into current developments and challenges relating to the combination of agriculture and solar energy. Our ongoing research projects are always practice-oriented, as we also carry out industrial projects and advise and support you in your agrivoltaics project.

Our services for agrivoltaics cover all project phases: Feasibility studies, selection of appropriate technologies for specific sites, system design, analysis of the expected agricultural and electric yield as well as monitoring and optimization of the agrivoltaic systems that are already in operation.

We create a service package customized to your needs

Every project has its own requirements and places its own demands on project planning. As a service provider, we create customized service packages for you in order to develop the best offer for your agrivoltaics project. Get an overview of our services.

We will be pleased to advise you and work with you to find the optimum project design to your project. Contact us and we look forward to meeting you.

Contact us

Our Research and Development services at a glance

Agrivoltaic systems can be planned differently and used in various areas of application. Whether in combination with arable farming, permanent and special crops or greenhouses. This means that the requirements for the practical and economic implementation of agrivoltaics differ.

At Fraunhofer ISE, we deal with agrivoltaics projects, challenges and opportunities of the technology on a daily basis and have more than 12 years of experience. As experts, we would like to help you implement your own agrivoltaics project. On the »Our team« page you will find a detailed description of the services provided by the various teams. We support companies of all sizes in the following areas:

Strategy Development
Site-Specific Feasibility
Extended Analyses
Operation and Maintenance
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© Fraunhofer ISE

Why Fraunhofer ISE?

Fraunhofer ISE is the birthplace of agrivoltaics - the idea came from our institute founder Adolf Goetzberger. Our group at Fraunhofer ISE specializes in linking agriculture and solar energy and works on new innovative solutions for agrivoltaics on a daily basis. We have already supported over 100 agrivoltaics projects in over 30 different countries and offer R&D-services from strategy development to project implementation. We also have a large international network and regularly exchange ideas with colleagues in order to keep our finger on the pulse.

In our work, we always consider the framework conditions of the project and work together with our clients to find the optimal solution. We work with energy suppliers, agricultural businesses and local authorities. Our cooperation is possible across all project phases. We are also happy to support your system during operation and offer you various monitoring services - all from a single source.

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Strategy Development

In the area of strategy development, we offer various services to help you prepare for the implementation of agrivoltaics.

Workshops and Knowledge Transfer

  • Current research and development insights on various subtopics, tailored to the company's interests and focus
  • Presentation and exchange of practical experience, e. g. on agricultural management or the legal framework

DIN SPEC 91434: technical and legal conformity assessment

  • Evaluation of existing agrivoltaic system designs for conformity with DIN SPEC 91434, considering technical and legal framework conditions such as the EEG, Direct Payment Implementation Ordinance as well as tax and building law (collaboration with external partners)
  • Simulation of expected relative yield changes and estimation of area losses due to structural elements

Request conformity assessment now

GIS-based potential analysis and site suitability analysis

  • Assessment of the potential for agrivoltaics at various levels and identification of suitable locations for agrivoltaic systems
  • Consideration of constraints from regional land-use plans and similar regulations etc.

Request potential analysis now & learn more about further services

Request Strategy Development Services
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© Fraunhofer ISE

Site-Specific Feasibility

Our services in the area of site-specific feasibility include specific analyses, forecasts and development of various concepts that support the implementation of your project.

Agricultural analysis

  • Preliminary assessment of crop suitability for cultivation in agrivoltaic systems
  • Research and evaluation of expected shading tolerances and estimation of expected synergy effects
  • Site- and system-specific selection of suitable crops
  • Yield estimation for agricultural production
  • Assessment of the compatibility of farming practices with the agrivoltaic system

Request agricultural analysis now

Light simulation / conceptual agrivoltaic design

  • Light simulations to estimate the light availability of for crop growth
  • Development of site-specific system designs in line with DIN SPEC 91434
  • Evaluation and optimization of existing system designs

Request light simulation now & get to know our team agriculture

Technology assessments

  • Technical analysis of potential system solutions, focusing on PV efficiency, operational aspects, and maintenance
  • Techno-economic feasibility evaluation with regard to site and crop requirements

PV Yield Forecast

  • PV yield prediction: Absolute annual system yield in kWh, accounting for system losses

Water Management Concepts

  • Water balance evaluation based on precipitation and crop water requirements
  • Calculating the potential of rainwater harvesting systems and storage solutions
  • Preliminary design of integrated irrigation systems

Learn more about the services of our group

Request Site-Specific Feasibility Services
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© Fraunhofer ISE
Agri-PV im Beerenanbau
© Fabian Karthaus

Extended Analyses

As part of our extended analyses, we look at specific aspects of agrivoltaics. From ecological competitiveness, to increasing your own energy consumption, to system-optimized PV module tracking, we are delighted to help you.

LCA analysis

  • Risk and sustainability assessment of agrivoltaic systems
  • Analysis of material and energy flows and potential emissions throughout the system’s life cycle

Energy System Integration

  • System integration options, accounting for electricity demand and including battery storage options
  • Approaches for increasing self-consumption of the generated energy to achieve (partial) energy autonomy

Tracking Systems

  • Concept development for crop-optimized PV module tracking
  • Techno-economic optimization of tracking schemes, taking into account agricultural and electrical yields

Learn more about the services of our group

Request Extended Analyses Services
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© Krinner Solar

Operation and Maintenance

We also support you during the operation of your agrivoltaic system so that you can exploit the maximum yield. This is achieved through the use of cutting-edge sensor technology, as well as standardized measurement techniques and placement within the agrivoltaic systems. We offer you various monitoring services for this purpose.

Monitoring concepts

  • Development of measurement campaigns and sensor layout design for both PV and crop level
  • Creation of site plans for integrating the setup into existing systems

Sensor Technology Screening

  • Research and assessment of sensor technologies for compatibility with the monitoring concept
  • Evaluation of sensor technologies with regard to their electrical consumption

Furthermore, to the synergy effects of agrivoltaics, additional monitoring also offers specific advantages for the dual land use of agrivoltaics:

Agriculture

+ Effective management of water

+ Proper light sharing

+ Optimal crop health

+ Reduced pesticide use

Photovoltaic

+ Higher energy generation

+ Higher land use efficiency

+ Optimized row spacing

+ Optimized back irradiation

Our services:

  • Consultation on monitoring systems at PV and crop level
  • Development of a monitoring concept and a site plan for integrating a measurement system into the agrivoltaic system
  • Recommendation of wireless sensor technologies based on market analyses
  • Implementation of camera systems for crop detection
  • Processing and analysis of monitoring data (upon request)

We measure a variety of parameters including:

Agriculture

+ Microclimate

+ Soil moisture and temperature

+ Relative air humidity and temperature

+ Leaf wetness and temperature

+ Photosynthetic active radiation

Photovoltaic

+ Irradiation (GHI, DNI and DHI)

+ Module temperature

+ Wind speed and direction

+ Infrared Imaging

Request Operation and Maintenance Services
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© Fraunhofer ISE