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Scientists have grown strawberries under thin-film cadmium telluride panels with varying transparency. They found that 40% transparency maintained a yield of over 80% of the uncovered plants. If all the worlds strawberry farms were converted to agrivoltaics, they would produce up to 173 TWh per year. Researchers at Western University in Canada have tested the growth of Delizz strawberries under photovoltaic panels with different levels of transparency. They built a replica of the outdoor conditions in London, Ontario, and then measured the strawberries fresh weight, plant height, leaf count, and flower count. They also calculated how much electricity strawberry agrivoltaics could produce in Canada and around the world. “The aim of this study was to assess the impact of varying photovoltaic transparency on strawberry yield and growth using thin-film cadmium telluride (Cd-Te) modules and to evaluate the potential of agrivoltaics as a sustainable solution for strawberry production in northern climates,” corresponding author Uzair Jamil told pv magazine . “This is the first agrivoltaic study on strawberry that estimates its performance in northern climates using Cd-Te PV modules.” The controlled room the team designed consisted of a 16-hour daylight/8-hour dark cycle. Daytime temperatures were kept at 25°C, while nighttime temperatures were kept at 19°C, reflecting the average London summer climate from May to August. Four 600W high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps were used to enhance natural lighting. All photovoltaic panels had the same dimensions: a length of 1,200 mm, a width of 600 mm and a thickness of 7 mm. They differed in their level of transparency and, therefore, in their maximum nominal power. The panel with 10% transparency had a power of 72 W, the one with 30% transparency had 56 W, and the one with 40% had 58 W. The panels with 50%, 60%, 70% and 80% transparency had a maximum nominal power of 40 W, 32 W, 24 W and 16 W, respectively. “Six replicates of strawberry plants were grown under each module, while eight replicates were grown without modules to serve as controls, all planted in 3.8 L pots,” the group explained. “Both experimental and control groups were housed in the same biome. The growing medium for all plants was ProMix BX soil.” The experiment started on February 20, 2024, and data was collected over 112 days. According to the results, the average fresh weight of the control strawberries was up to 50.8 g. The module with 10% transparency had a lower fresh weight of up to 9.5 g, the 30% module had 15 g, the 40% module had 25.5 g, the 50% module had 20 g, the 60% module performed at 19.5 g, the 70% module had 51.7 g, and the 80% module had an average fresh weight of 30.7 g. “The results indicate that strawberries grown under 70% transparent PV modules exhibited a fresh weight 140.6% of the average control,” the group said. “In addition, yields higher than 80% of the control were observed with 40%, 50% and 80% transparent PV modules, making their deployment legal for areas that have an agrivoltaic policy based on maintaining a yield higher than 80%.” Based on their data, the academics performed a statistical analysis which showed that the transparency rate influences growth performance. This analysis found a strong positive correlation between the measured photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the fresh weight of the strawberry, with a Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of 0.693. PAR represents the portion of light that plants use for photosynthesis. In addition, the researchers used their results and the System Advisor Model (SAM) software to calculate the electricity-generating potential of strawberry agrivoltaic farms in Canada and around the world. They found that the Canadian potential ranges from 595 GWh to 1,786 GWh per year, depending on the level of transparency of the modules. This would result in a reduction in CO2 emissions of between 65 kilotonnes (kt) and 196 kt per year. On a global scale, the electricity potential of strawberry fields ranges from 58 TWh to 173 TWh, and the CO2 reduction ranges from 27 Mt to 82 Mt per year. “The adoption of agrivoltaics in the Canadian strawberry sector could facilitate energy self-sufficiency and transform it into a net exporter of electricity, generating additional income for farmers,” the team concluded. “These results highlight the substantial benefits of agrivoltaics, including improved agricultural productivity, significant clean energy generation, increased farmer incomes, and reduced food prices.” Their findings are presented in “ Experimental impacts of transparency on strawberry agrivoltaics using thin film photovoltaic modules under low light conditions,” published in Solar Energy . |
