Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
Germany
About the Event
Agriculture or solar power? When acreage is limited, the question often arises as to which takes precedence. Agri-photovoltaics (Agri-PV) combines electricity generation via photovoltaics with agricultural crop production on a single plot of land and is regarded as a promising approach that is increasingly being researched internationally. The “Agrivoltaics” project group, funded by the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), has been investigating this potential since October 2025 in collaboration with researchers from the University of Freiburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. At the heart of the project is a demonstrator developed under the leadership of the Centre for Renewable Energy (ZEE) at the University of Freiburg, which is part of the project group. The demonstrator will be inaugurated on 20 May 2026 on the grounds of the Faculty of Engineering.
About the Demonstrator
The demonstrator is located directly opposite the Europa-Park Stadium and, together with information boards, serves as an eye-catching feature designed to spark public interest in the topic of agri-photovoltaics. On this test site, crops are grown beneath photovoltaic modules that are positioned so that shading occurs mainly in the afternoon – that is, at a time of day when it can protect the plants from high temperatures and drought stress. Research is being conducted into the effects of the agri-PV system on the microclimate, plant growth and electricity yield. As part of the monitoring process, sensors record, among other things, light availability, air temperature, soil moisture and humidity beneath the system and compare these values with an unshaded reference area.
For whom?
All interested welcome. No registration needed.
Contact
E-Mail: kommunikation
zv [dot] uni-freiburg [dot] de (Max Beyer)
Phone: +49 (0)761 203-4302
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