VeCon Vertical Agri-PV plus
The plus for agriculture.
STRUCTURE
VeCon Vertical Agri-PV
Three basic components
Vertical steel structure
Pile-driven foundation and field pillars
No concrete necessary on the field
Horizontal steel structure
Support tube between the field pillars
Support for the free-swinging photovoltaic modules
Causes an immense reduction of wind loads on the whole system (decreasing cD value)
Bifacial photovoltaic modules
East/west orientation (ideal)
Self-developed frame by VeCon
- Reduction of self-shading
- Absorption of dynamic wind forces
ADVANTAGES
What are the advantages?
For the land use
Clear height
- The lower edge of the PV module (clear height) as at a minimum height of 2.1 Meter and can be adapted to the area conditions
- This allows the cultivation of many different crops.
- The grazing of animals is possible without restrictions.
- Provides free space for agricultural machinery.
Double land use
- Double land use with minimal impact on agriculture
- Around 90% – 95% of the cultivated area is retained after installation.
- In Europe: CAP payments for farmers thereby secured
- About 40% – 50% of the installed capacity of a free-field photovoltaic system is used on agricultural land for photovoltaic power generation.
130% – 145% of land use
ADVANTAGES
For farms
Variable distance
- Flexible: spacing between the rows in coordination with the farmer
- Minimum distance between rows of about 12 meters
- Adaptable to the width of the existing machine park
Almost maintenance-free
- Less dirt sticks to the module surface due to the vertical design.
- Cleaning effect through rain
Simple installation and resource saving concept
- Erection only by pile-driven foundations
- Fully reversible deconstruction without land impact
- Almost 100% recyclable
ADVANTAGES
For Investors
Geringe
Flächenvorbereitung
Large distance between the pile-driven fundaments
- Approx. 9m between two pile-driven fundaments.
- This results in less than 100 piles per hectare.
No fencing necessary
- Confirmed by various insurance companies
- Theft protection provided by installation height
- Area accessibility is simplified
- The selection of areas is increased
Less steel used on the field
- A substructure of only approx. 40 kg/kWp is required.
ADVANTAGES
For power generation
Bifacial PV modules in combination with vertical installation:
- Irradiation on both sides of the modules (yield of the bifacial side at about 90% of the front side)
- Additional irradiation due to indirect radiation and ground reflection (albedo effect)
Additional yield compared to a south oriented system (20°) with monofacial modules of about 10%
Power generation during the off-peak (annual) periods:
- No generation peak in the midday hours, no “switching off” of the generation peak due to grid bottlenecks during this time
Higher attainable market price on the energy stock markets of approx. 10%
The increase of PV leads to decreasing profile values of all PV technologies*:
- Yields on the electricity exchange decline.
- Vertical, bifacial systems can continue to generate higher returns on the electricity exchanges due to higher energy production in marginal areas (seasons and times of day).
*source: enervis energy advisors GmbH, 2022
Technical Details
Pilot installation in Budrio, Italy
Installed electrical power
188.37 kWp
Inverters
3 x 60 kW
Row length
141 meters
Row distance
12 meters
Clear height
2,2 meters
Agricultural cultivation
Arable farming with crop rotation
CONTACT
Your contact
Explanation of the decreasing drag coefficient (cD) to the system
To illustrate the wind movement, the plus system is shown
Reducing the wind-exposed area as wind speed increases leads to a significant reduction in structural loads.
Crops with a high tolerance for shade can also be grown and benefit from the dynamically changing shade across the field.
Crops with low and moderate shade tolerance are ideal for growing between the rows of the VeCon Vertical Agri-PV system.
The grazing of animals is possible without restrictions:
- Possible for smaller (chickens, sheep, etc.) and larger animals (cows, horses, etc.)
- Changing shadows cast by the modules serve as recreation zones for the animals.
Advantages compared to existing systems:
- Adaption of the lower edge of the photovoltaic module (clear height) to the head height of the animals to prevent damage at the modules
- In addition: Modules can avoid animals.
- No localized, permanent shading of the area as with horizontal systems, which makes it difficult for the meadow/pasture to grow back
