| Work Detail |
One of the largest agrivoltaic power plants in Europe is currently under construction in the southwestern German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. REG Energy Engineering has designed a new, material-saving substructure for the project that allows for livestock grazing.
Agrivoltaics are available in many different variants. In the municipality of Bruttig-Fankel in the Cochem-Zell district near Germanys Moselle River, PV generation and livestock farming are now to be combined on a large scale.
The project will comprise high, fixed module structures under which cows can graze. With a minimum height at the lower edge of 2.15 meters and a span between the supports of 4 by more than 5 meters, a medium-sized tractor can also drive under the modules, explained Dirk Kühnel, managing director of REG Energy Engineering and inventor of the mounting system.
The German company presented the new substructure at the Intersolar Europe in Munich. It does not use C-beams, but cold-rolled and galvanized posts and beams with a maximum material thickness of 3 millimeters, Kühnel added. Utility model protection exists for the shape of the various profiles. Thanks to the new design and other clever ideas for assembly, the system can not only save 30% of material, but also speed up assembly, Kühnel said.
Despite their height, very large module racking systems with up to 15.5 kWp per structure can be used up to wind load level 2. With a total output of 69 MW, it is one of the largest agrivoltaic projects to have been realized in Europe to date.
First, four ramming supports are driven into the ground, into which four supports can then be inserted and adjusted to the desired height. These supports have inwardly curved edges to minimize the risk of injury to the animals and can also withstand the stresses of cattle, Kühnel explained. Two 9-meter-long main beams are placed over the supports, to which the nine module beams are then attached. The modules can be fixed by sliding them into the beam profiles. Additional module clamps are not necessary. There is a gap between the modules for rainwater to drip off and an integrated cable duct next to it.
The farm, which owns the project area, expects that enough green fodder will grow despite the shading, which is expected to result in better use of dew and less evaporation of rainwater. This ensures a good water supply even in hot, dry periods. The farm intends to use the pasture area for cows and their calves from April to November. The partial shading will also improve animal welfare. In total, 34 hectares of the 54-hectare project area will be directly covered with 4,700 PV structures.
The project, owned and operated by construction and energy consulting company Bau- und Energieberatung Marke, is expected to go online in the first quarter of 2025 following the construction of a substation. |
