October 10, 2024 - In the run-up to the EnergyDecentral trade fair in Hanover in November 2024, the DLG asked German farmers in its most recent DLG Practice Monitor - a survey on farmers' opinion on practical farming issues - how they assess on-farm photovoltaic power stations and agrivoltaics. The results reveal that not only are farmers open to new approaches in this area but they also display great interest.
A mere search on the internet for the topic of agrivoltaics renders a range of terms, including 'solar agriculture', 'dual-use field' or 'agri solar'. Essentially, the term refers to the simultaneous use of arable land and grassland to both generate solar energy for electricity and produce agricultural crops in traditional ground-mounted photovoltaics, the modules are fixed in south-facing areas which means that they serve extensive animal husbandry and not much else. In contrast, the design and location of agricultural photovoltaic systems is modified so that machinery cultivation of the land remains possible. In the run-up to the EnergyDecentral trade fair in Hanover in November 2024, the DLG asked farmers in its current DLG practice monitor how they assess the topics of ground-mounted as well as agrivoltaics in the context of their own farm. In addition to a great deal of interest, it is particularly striking how open the farmers are to new technologies.
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The respondents' positive attitude towards climate and environmental issues was particularly noteworthy. Almost 95 percent of respondents believe that each and every one of us has a responsibility to leave future generations with a sustainable environment. Over 86 percent emphasised the special responsibility that agriculture carries for the environment and agreed or fully agreed with a corresponding statement. While some 80 percent express awareness of a change in the weather in their region in the last five years, possible concerns about the effects of climate change on their own farm are significantly weaker, with only around 23 percent fully agreeing. The question of the regulatory consequences of the aforementioned responsibility generated a high degree of polarisation. Just how divided farmers are on the question of whether environmental protection in agriculture is exaggerated can be seen in the spread of responses: 53 percent agree or fully agree with this statement, while around a third disagree or fully disagree.
Farmers: Highly innovative and confident
Despite high energy prices, two thirds of farmers are confident about the future and are, moreover, willing to take risks. The sector remains true to its credo that only rapid adaptation to changing conditions, which are generally less advantageous, will ensure entrepreneurial success. More than 95 percent of those surveyed are interested.
The farms surveyed
A total of 125 respondents took part in the German language DLG-Practice Monitor 'Agri-photovoltaics - current situation in agriculture', of which 83 of completed the survey. Among the participants, 78 percent were full-time farmers, farming arable land between 101 and 200 hectares. A large proportion, over 77 percent, of farms had already invested in a classic rooftop or roof-parallel photovoltaic (PV) system, which means that the survey covered at least 10,000 kWp - with an average output of around 1500 kWp per installed system. Just over two-thirds of the farms focused on mono crystalline PV modules.
Advantages and disadvantages
With regard to photovoltaics applied in crop cultivation, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for the respondents, as they see the possibility of optimising the PV system allowing maximum light for the plants as the main production goal at the expense of the electricity yield. The positive contribution to biodiversity conservation and the opportunity to reduce wind erosion were emphasised as positive points. However, disadvantages are expected when working the land with machines. A possible shading effect or weather protection played only a minor role for the respondents, and it must be said that the survey participants vineland and fruit growers were only marginally represented.
Though it is positively viewed that the farm can be diversified with an agrivoltaic system and provide additional source of income some scepticism prevail. High investment costs and the higher priority of other investments were cited. Added to this - and this could become a problem for actual investments - is the high level of bureaucracy combined with an uncertain political framework, a scenario that could occur according to a majority of respondents.
In terms of energy generation and use, the focus is still on economically attractive feed-in. Only to a lesser extent is the farm's own contribution to the energy transition mentioned. While the topic of energy self-sufficiency of the farm business only meets with a low level of interest, the topic of 'self-supply' requires highly differentiated standards of consideration: While interest in self-sufficiency is not rated too highly overall, here too there is a strong split between a very positive and very negative assessment. Farms with a high energy input, for example in animal husbandry, have a significantly different view of the topic than those that only farm arable land. In terms of orientation, an east-west orientation is slightly preferred to a south orientation or a tracker system. The 'vertical' or 'horizontal' design generally does not matter to the farms - the decisive factors here are also accessibility and agricultural use.
In principle, the farmers surveyed feel that they are generally well informed about how agrivoltaic systems work as well as the possible applications and designs. There are gaps in the latest developments in the sector and the respondents are aware of this. Further deficits were also identified in the area of the legal framework and the steps required to purchase an agrivoltaic system for a specific application.
Among the individual opinions recorded as open-ended questions, building regulation and grid connection issues were criticised in particular. For example, potential investments are hindered both by the sluggish expansion of the grid and by the fact that local authorities sometimes limit the usable areas. In addition, there are difficulties in dealing with the grid operators, in solving potential construction regulation problems and when it comes to whether the area can be used again as before after a plant has been dismantled.
Conclusion
Overall, farmers see the use of agrivoltaics in principle as a sensible way to further develop farms and increase productivity. The statement that an agri-PV system does not fit into the farm or the municipality is agreed to much less frequently. However, one should be aware that the voices of those for whom a PV system has no place on agricultural land on principle can become very loud. From the individual opinions of arable farmers in particular, it can be concluded that interest will increase if people can see for themselves, on the basis of sample projects, that electricity generation and agricultural production can actually coexist almost without interference. However, as dynamic as the solar industry is on the market, such projects will not be too long in coming.
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The Global MillerThis blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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