Fraunhofer ISE has created a new spin-off diveo GmbH in collaboration with external founders
It supports farmers with advanced agrivoltaic systems and energy storage projects
It will plan and build such projects and offer monitoring services
Germany-headquartered Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has established an agrivoltaic startup called diveo GmbH, in collaboration with an external team of founders.
“An exciting constellation,” said Director of Fraunhofer ISE Prof. Dr. Andreas W. Bett, “because at diveo we combine our scientific expertise from the institute with successful startup experience from the energy market.”
The startup has been spun-off the institute to plan and build agrivoltaic systems co-located with battery energy storage systems (BESS) to support agricultural businesses in the planning, construction and monitoring of such systems.
A Fraunhofer ISE says that its team of 70 people dedicated to agrivoltaics has been researching the field for over 10 years. Current projects are implemented as generation systems with gray or green energy storage, depending on individual power grid conditions.
“We primarily use the light simulations and plant shading analyses from Fraunhofer ISE for system design,” said diveo Managing Director Kai Klapdor. “We use various system types, from high-mounted, static east-west agri-PV systems in fruit growing to tracking systems in arable farming and permanent grassland.”
Agrivoltaics is gaining ground in Europe as this promotes dual-use of land, locating solar power systems on agricultural land, thus reducing competition for land. Agrivoltaic systems can also provide protection against hail, frost, and drought damage, while reducing water consumption. Additionally, Fraunhofer ISE explains that it creates stable, additional sources of income for farms.
The institute has also developed a lightweight solar PV module for agrivoltaic installations that can be installed on conventional weather protection systems for specialty crops (see Fraunhofer USE Unveils Lightweight Solar For Farmlands).
In a 2024 study, Fraunhofer ISE-led consortium found a fruitful correlation between solar panels and agriculture (see Fraunhofer ISE Releases Interim Results For Agrivoltaic Research).
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