How Arctech’s Rigid Trackers Meet Special Requirements of Agrivoltaics Projects

The global trend towards decarbonization has prompted the formulation of ambitious renewable energy targets worldwide, with solar projects emerging as a popular choice. However, the proliferation of such projects has led to land scarcity issues, which is where agrivoltaics presents an attractive solution by enabling dual use of land for both crop cultivation and solar energy production.

In general, agrivoltaic projects involve the integration of PV modules above crops, and?project owners would use?solar trackers to optimize energy production. Compared with?traditional solar tracking projects, agrivoltaic projects place a high emphasis on solar tracker design and layout. Firstly, the ground clearance of solar trackers must be sufficient for unobstructed crop growth and solar trackers should also?be rigid enough and can?stow horizontally during extreme weather events such as hailstorms or high winds?to protect solar modules and crops. Secondly, the interior and exterior design of solar tracker arrays should allow farming machinery to move freely beneath solar panels. Lastly, given that agrivoltaic projects are often located in undulating terrains, it is crucial for solar trackers to possess excellent terrain adaptability.

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Fortunately, Arctech, the world’s leading solar tracking, racking and BIPV solutions provider, has signature solar trackers that can be easily adapted?to any agrivoltaics project and allow?various?crops to grow well while?realizing?the maximum solar energy generation.

Firstly, Arctech's signature tracking solutions SkyLine, SkyLine II, SkySmart II and SkyWings have a ground clearance of 1.5m-2.5m,?which minimizes the shading effect on crops' productivity. Additionally, Arctech’s?solar engineers can customize the trackers' clearance from ground level to meet specific agrivoltaics project requirements. Equipped with a multi-point drive mechanism, Arctech's rigid trackers have a 0deg wind stow mode that protects both solar panels and crops underneath them?in adverse weather conditions. Secondly, Arctech’s?solar trackers have terrain adaptability of N-S 20% slope, enabling?them to?properly?function in all kinds of undulated terrains. Thirdly, the standardized design adopted by Arctech's solar trackers enables simpler plant design and lower general cost since the interior and exterior tracker layout remains consistent throughout the project. Furthermore, Arctech?solar engineers can provide customized layout?designs to?ensure?unobstructed access to high-tech farming equipment through these arrays.

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Empowered by new-generation AI tracking algorithms, Arctech’s solar trackers also utilize machine learning based on environment and operational data acquisition to determine the optimum tracking tilt in each topography and environment, allowing for real-time shading avoidance for up to 7% more energy generation.

Now, Arctech’s solar trackers have been adopted to several signature agrivoltaics projects worldwide. In 2021, Arctech’s single-axis solar tracker SkyLine was used in the 11MW Solar Universe SPP project, which marked the first agrivoltaics solar power plant in Sri Lanka. The SkyLine system has enabled crops such as peanuts, green chilies, beans, turnips and watermelons to grow beneath it while generating clean electricity of 20GWH annually for the National Grid.?Additionally, Arctech's flagship product - the SkySmart II tracking system - was deployed at a 575MW agrivoltaic project in China where colorful fragrant rice, wheat with rich selenium and oilseed rapes were planted under?the solar?panels,?resulting in a comprehensive income per mu that is 1.5 times higher than traditional agriculture projects.

If you are looking for a turnkey solution for your agrivoltaics project, Arctech?can offer an all-inclusive package tailored to your needs. For more information, please visit https://www.arctechsolar.us/.