Open Access

Marian Christian Bilger

• Agri-Photovoltaics is a novel renewable energy technology. Amid rising climate change concerns, integrated photovoltaic systems are gaining in importance. Problems such as the increasing scarcity of land and the sealing of fertile soils are becoming more and more serious. Land consumption is often at the expense of agriculture. Farmers are struggling to cope with the ever more difficult conditions due to the effects of climate change. Therefore, the world must increasingly deal with dual use of land. However, especially in Germany the technology of agri-photovoltaics is not yet very advanced. The objective of this thesis is to identify the potential of this technology for the energy transition in Germany. Furthermore, the economic potential for regional farmers in Germany will be elaborated based on an investment appraisal of a vertical agri-photovoltaic system. The application possibilities of agri-photovoltaics are versatile. The work shows that already today farmers in Germany can diversify their income by investing in an agri-photovoltaic system. The costs are higher than for ordinary ground mounted systems, however the land can still be used for agricultural purposes. The investment calculation is carried out in different scenarios. Particularly, the remuneration per kWh as well as the discount factor are decisive for a positive net present value project. The results of this work show that the potential of agri photovoltaics is high for both the energy transition in Germany and the economic benefits for regional farmers. For an increasing expansion of the technology, more precise legislation and appropriate subsidies for agri-photovoltaics are needed. Currently, the technology is insufficiently covered in German legislation, which needs to be addressed.