Approaching Egret vertical farming power generation

Xiamen Egret Solar New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. supplies 1.9 MW agricultural photovoltaic mounting structure on 5.1 hectares of land in Austria in the past of 2024,which currently mainly grows pumpkins and soybeans.

The vertical photovoltaic systems generally do not interact significantly with weather conditions. The impact of weather conditions such as dryness or excessive rainfall in the area is basically the same regardless of whether photovoltaic panels are installed or not.

The fields where the vertical photovoltaic structures are installed are adjacent to conventional fields planted with the same crops. The panels are installed between the rows of crops that rotate annually. The side poles are buried 2.5 meters underground, while the center pole supporting the panels is buried 1.5 meters underground. The rows of panels are spaced 9.4 meters apart to minimize shading.

A 0.5-meter gap is maintained between the panels and the crops, and Egret Solar says these gaps can be used to grow flowers.

For crops such as pumpkins, the harvest time is basically the same when grown on photovoltaic farms and on traditional farmland, but for soybeans, the harvest time when grown on photovoltaic farms is 20% longer than on traditional farmland."

The vertical photovoltaic structure helps keep the panels clean, eliminating the need for manual cleaning. Egret Solar added that the power station did not need inspections because there were no hanging cables and the installed cameras were sufficient to prevent insurance issues.

Egret Solar said that by optimizing the frame structure to reduce the shadow area, power output can be increased by 1% to 2%, while using bifacial photovoltaic panels can increase power generation by about 10% compared to single-sided photovoltaic panels.

Egret Solar said this configuration is also suitable for wheat, barley, rice, beans, and other crops that do not exceed the height of the PV panels.