On a test field in Gelfingen in the canton of Lucerne, the sensitive raspberry bushes grow under translucent solar modules - well protected from heat and hail. A forward-looking solution with many winners, because: ’The combination of agriculture and electricity generation on the same area holds great potential,’ says agroecologist Dominik Füglistaller from the BFH-HAFL School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences.
According to the Energy Strategy 2050, photovoltaics in Switzerland is to be expanded from around 5 GW today to up to 50 GW in the future. So far, the focus has been on rooftops and facades. However, according to Dominik Füglistaller, in future photovoltaic systems could also be installed where fruit and vegetables are grown. This is known as agri-photovoltaics, agrivoltaics or agri-PV and is already being strongly promoted in neighboring countries.
Unique expertise in Switzerland
BFH-HAFL and the Department of Engineering and Information Technology at Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH are therefore also forging ahead: they have founded the new AgriSolar Forum. The new competence center bundles expertise in photovoltaics and agroecology in a way that is unique in Switzerland. ’In future, BFH-HAFL and BFH-TI would like to provide scientific support for such systems and help farmers, planners and plant constructors to implement them,’ says Christof Bucher, Head of the Laboratory for Photovoltaic Systems.What is key here is that agricultural expert Dominik Füglistaller and photovoltaic professional Christof Bucher are investigating which systems bring which benefits for which crops. Because: ’Only those who can show that a photovoltaic system has advantages for production are allowed to build one on agricultural land at all,’ explains Füglistaller. In addition to weather protection, increased yields and a reduction in pesticides, the agroecologist also sees biodiversity as an advantage - for example, when solar panels provide protection for valuable shade plants, as he is investigating on a field in Wyttenbach.
Christof Bucher is also in no doubt: ’The potential for agri-PV in Switzerland is huge. The farmer of today could be the energy farmer of tomorrow.’ The AgriSolar Forum is currently supporting two planned plants in the canton of Bern, for example.
