- BayWa is constructing an 8.7 MW agrivoltaic project on a raspberry farm site in the Netherlands
- The entire space will be equipped with 24,206 solar panels, and the project will come online in Q1/2024
- It is financed through investment from the farmer himself and government subsidies
German renewable energy company BayWa r e and its Dutch subsidiary GroenLeven have started constructing an 8.7 MW solar plant in the Netherlands, calling it the ‘biggest’ renewable energy project using solar PV modules above fruits in all of Europe or a fruitvoltaics project.
The solar PV project is coming up in the North Brabant province where the site owner is growing raspberries. BayWa said the 24,206 solar panels fixed overhead the fruit plantation will generate enough clean energy for 2,810 homes.
Farmer Maarten van Hoof allowed for a pilot plant in 2020 on the site. Successful results of the same gave him confidence to equip the entire farm with solar panels. BayWa targets to finish the project by Q1/2024.
The fruitvoltaics project is funded by the government subsidies and investment from the farmer Hoof himself. BayWa says with this, the project can make a compelling business case for agri-PV in Europe even as wider political support will accelerate the process.
“There are a lot of impressive elements on display here on this flagship project. PV modules protect crops and provide a more resilient growing environment, while also cutting down on single-use plastic coverings,” said BayWa r.e.’s Head of Product Management Agri-PV, Stephan Schindele. “We’ve experimented in depth with the level of transparency PV modules needed in order to let light pass through to crops. Now, we can provide those conditions and generate power on this future-proof farm.”
