Explanation

Central Column

The central column is the standard simulation that calculates the light distribution and includes the results in the PDF.

Left Column

The left column contains optional simulations. One gives more insight into the electricity yields and the other simulates crops and provides more information about them. Both optional results will also be included in the PDF.

Right Column

The right column is for calculating examples. Clicking on the image loads the parameters from that example site. The title above the site is the name of the site, and clicking on it takes you to a page with more information about that site.

Results

The results of the simulation are shown in a PDF that can be downloaded at the bottom of the page. The simulation time can vary from 4 to 6 minutes depending on the usage of single-axis tracking.

Input Parameters Simulation

Shed

Dome

For the configuration of the agrivoltaics setup, you can choose from two types of arrangements. A "shed" structure where all the modules have the same orientation or a "dome" structure where the modules have opposite orientations. On the figures above you can see the meaning of the different input parameters for both type of structures.

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Assumptions

Be careful with the results of this webtool! The purpose is to give a first basic idea about the performance of the selected agrivoltaics system. Some important underlying assumptions:

1. The weather data input is based on Typical Meteorological Year data (TMY) collected from PVGIS (2006-2016).
2. The reflectivity of the module's front and backside are respectively 3% and 5%.
3. The albedo of the field is fixed at 0.3.
4. The tracking angles are limited from -50° to +50° and a backtracking algorithm is active to minimise row-to-row shading.
5. The crop simulations are based on relative crop yield curves originating from this paper by M. Laub et al.
6. Only the shade caused by the PV modules is simulated in detail. For the shade caused by the support structure we use fixed parameters: Light: -2%; Moderate: -5%; Strong: -10%.

If you have any questions related to this tool feel free to contact us: cas.lavaert@kuleuven.be