BCFoods’ strategic partner in Germany has embarked on an exciting journey toward carbon neutrality and energy independence. They are building an agrophotovoltaic power plant, a groundbreaking technology that allows solar energy production and crops to occupy the same space.
The project, which has already been planned, approved, and received funding, will install a field of solar panels six meters above the ground with enough space for a tractor and harvesting machine to work beneath them. These unique solar panels also allow crops to receive the sunlight they need for healthy growth.
Once completed, the 1.3M Euro, 10K square meter environmental project will be one of the largest of its kind in the world. The solar panels will be built over chive fields located next to the supplier’s BCFoods-approved drying facility used for dehydrating that particular crop.
When complete, the agrophotovoltaic field will add another 750kWp to the 750kWp already produced from the panels that currently exist on the roofs of the dehydration plant and warehouses. By 2023, they will produce 80% of the electricity used throughout the supplier’s company operations.
With planning, approval, and financing already complete, building the power plant is expected to begin this coming June and complete in just four months by October.
A solar farm that can coexist with agriculture where farmers can produce food and energy from the same field is a fairly new concept and a big deal. The advanced technology used in this agrophotovoltaic project, along with its scope, makes this project an important step in the nationwide energy transition away from coal-fired energy.
Learn more about the technology used in agrophotovoltaic power plants for supplying solar power.
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