Agri-PV Systems Combine Farming and Solar Energy in Germany

German farmers are installing agricultural photovoltaic (agri-PV) systems on their land, allowing them to continue growing crops while also generating solar energy. Georg Bockmaier, a farmer in Grasbrunn, Bavaria, is among the over 800 farmers partnering with the startup Feld.energy to implement these systems on approximately 900 hectares.

The agri-PV installations include solar tracking systems designed to work with farming operations. Bockmaier notes that standard farm equipment, like combine harvesters with widths of 6.60 to 7.50 meters, can navigate between the vertically positioned solar panels.

Feld.energy, founded two years ago, aims to expand beyond Bavaria and install one gigawatt of PV capacity across Europe, the equivalent of a nuclear power plant, within the next four years, starting with Italy. The company offers a solution to balance renewable energy expansion with the need to preserve farmland.