Spectral-splitting concentrator agrivoltaics for higher hybrid solar energy conversion efficiency

By integrating solar cells into agricultural lands, agrivoltaics is a promising route to widely deploy photovoltaics, and it can reduce land competition for food and energy production. Although various agrivoltaics have been proposed, their optical properties and effects on plant growth remain disputed, which largely limits the widespread deployment of agrivoltaics. Here, we present spectral-splitting concentrator agrivoltaics (SCAPV), which can effectively harvest photosynthetically excess light energy for photovoltaic power without compromising crop productivity. This system transmits a selected light spectrum for plant growth while reflecting the remaining spectrum for electricity generation. Field trials show that SCAPV can increase plant biomass by 13% and decrease plant heat dissipation by approximately 50%. Meanwhile, SCAPV has a maximum photovoltaic power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.9%. The overall solar energy conversion efficiency is higher than the theoretical limitation of photosynthesis. Economic analysis shows that SCAPV has a levelized cost of energy (LCE) of $0.033/kWh. Our results show that with proper spectral management, only a portion of sunlight is sufficient to support or even enhance plant growth. Compared to other spectral-splitting agrivoltaics, SCAPV is a scalable technology with flexible spectrum and high transparency and can be implemented using low-cost components.

Automated summary

By integrating solar cells into agricultural lands, agrivoltaics is a promising route to widely deploy photovoltaics, and it can reduce land competition for food and energy production. Although various agrivoltaics have been proposed, their optical properties and effects on plant growth remain disputed, which largely limits the widespread deployment of agrivoltaics.