Agrivoltaic Project Cleared In Dominican Republic

• Dominican Republic has granted definitive concession for a 50 MW agrivoltaic project  
• It will be located in Peravia province's Bani municipality in Cerro Gordo region, and will be connected to the grid on completion 
• Germany's SUNfarming will develop the project as part of its Food & Energy concept

The National Energy Commission (CNE) of Dominican Republic has awarded definitive concession to German solar energy company SUNfarming for a 50 MW agrivoltaic project to be built in the country on a grid-connected basis. 

SUNfarming will develop the project in the Cerro Gordo region of Bani municipality of Peravia province. The company provides a suite of services for its solar systems, right from project development to installation and monitoring the facilities. However, the CNE announcement is short on other details.   

It will develop the facility in the Latin American nation as part of its Food & Energy concept that focuses on developing food and energy infrastructure where it is needed the most, while entering public private partnerships (PPP) with the local industry to create jobs locally.  

As agrivoltaics promise dual use of land, leading also to generation of additional income for farmers, an Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) report from April 2022 called for expansion of agrivoltaics across the globe to help the world bring down its carbon emissions by 2030 (see Integrated PV Critical For Global Decarbonization).   

CNE said it has reached a new milestone in sustainable development with this 'agro-energy complex'. It will enable the country to bring down its dependence on non-renewable sources, and also curb the environmental impact associated with energy production. 

In May 2023, CNE granted definitive concession contracts for 3 solar power plants with 148 MW combined capacity to be constructed in various municipalities (see Latin America PV News Snippets).