Food, Energy, and Health Implications of Agrivolgtaic Farms

作者：Erfan Hosseini, Gabriel G. Katul, Majdi Abou Najm, André Daccache, Sujith Ravi, Gavin Chaboya, Kelly Mae Heroux, Chong Seok Choi, Elie Bou‐Zeid · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.22541/essoar.176175847.76117949/v1 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Photovoltaic Systems and Sustainability、Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact、Photovoltaic System Optimization Techniques

The societal benefits of agrivoltaics are well supported, with ample empirical evidence for their suitability for collocated energy generation, crop cultivation, and water savings, even for staple crops. What is lacking is a holistic modeling framework to design and optimize AV systems for specific crop types, micro-environments, and panel configurations. To this end, a multiphysics model that solves momentum, energy, and mass exchanges among interacting components, and determines the implications of AV on photosynthesis, power generation, and worker thermal comfort, is introduced. The model is tested against field data from California, and Minnesota. Its applications are illustrated for a representative AV scenario using weather data from central New Jersey, showcasing the multifaceted benefits of AV for a tomato farm under photovoltaic panels. In this scenario, the model predicts a 5.6 °C reduction in average daytime panel temperature (compared to a regular PV installation), reducing overheating-related energy losses by 15.2%. Despite a 47% reduction in light for the setup modeled here, net carbon assimilation declined only by 31%. Daytime crop leaf temperature declined by 1.84 °C, and these reductions offset some of the decline in carbon assimilation. Another benefit is the reduction in transpiration losses by 22.4% compared to an open crop field. Finally, the average perceived temperature experienced by workers improves by approximately 5.2 °C during working hours. While ...