Energy developer BayWa r.e. has secured €6.5 million (£5.6m) in funding from the EU’s LIFE Programme to advance agri-PV projects.
These projects will be executed across five countries by 2027 and will merge agriculture with solar power generation.
BayWa r.e. aims to collaborate closely with EU representatives, landowners and local communities to establish the commercial viability of agri-PV and demonstrate its effectiveness as a climate-adaptation strategy for fruit and crop cultivation in Europe.
Three new projects in France, Spain and the Netherlands seek to enhance the resilience of fruitvoltaic projects against climate change by combining crop protection and green solar energy generation.
Additionally, three more projects in Germany, Spain and Italy will explore the expansion of agri-PV alongside arable crops such as summer and winter wheat or soya.
Bernd Decker, Representative of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, established by the European Commission, said: “This initiative could potentially develop our understanding in a lot of key environmental areas.
“Plastic waste reduction, efficient water use, cutting chemical or pesticide reliance, carbon emission reduction; the list goes on. All are vital co-benefits in our response to climate change.”
