THE POSSIBLE OPTIMIZATION OF SWEDISH AGRIVOLTAIC ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION : An analysis of optimization electricity production in agrivoltaic system

Sammanfattning: In order to meet future electricity demand, Sweden needs to increase its electricity production, particularly through renewable energy sources. By the end of 2022, solar power production reached 2 TWh, an increase of 75 percent over 2021. Over the past few years, solar power has grown significantly, and it is predicted to continue to grow in the future. Furthermore, by 2045, the Swedish government aims to provide 100% of its energy needs from renewable sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero. This study investigates whether agrivoltaic is feasible in Sweden, where solar power is coupled with agriculture. There is great potential in this technology, even though it is new. By testing different parameters, such as height and row distance, this study has also examined different agrivoltaic system designs and various geographic locations to estimate their true potential in optimizing electricity production. Using PVSyst simulations, we can then investigate how to optimize electricity and evaluate the economic feasibility based on levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and payback period of the best system. For a better understanding of this study, an extensive literature review was conducted. Although the modeling of bifacial modules is still relatively new research topic. This study simulated three different cases using PVsyst software. Case A with a row distance of 5 meters and a system capacity of 222 kWp; case B with a row distance of 10 meters and a system capacity of 111 kWh; and case C with a row distance of 15 meters and a system capacity of 77,7 kWp. In addition, heights ranging from 0,5 to 1,5 meters were investigated, using bifacial modules. Irradiation data from PVsyst shows that the yearly global horizontal irradiance GHI in Västerås is 1004,6 [kWh/m^2] while the GHI in Trelleborg is 1023,4 [kWh/m^2]. According to the results, the most efficient system is the one-axis tracker, which produces approximately 25% more electricity than unlimited vertical sheds. It was also found that the maximum electricity was produced at 45° azimuth. The result also found a five percent increase in electricity production in Västerås over Trelleborg. Furthermore, the optimal row distance and optimal height were found to be 10 [m] and 0,5 [m]. Lastly, the most effective system was one-axis tracker system in Västerås with LCOE of 0,09 [Euro/kWh] and payback periods of 10,6 [Years]. Keywords: [Agrivoltaic, optimal system, row distance, levelized cost of energy, payback period]