A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Performance evaluation of high latitude agrivoltaic systems with vertically mounted bifacial panels




AuthorsSzarek, Magda; Jouttijärvi, Sami; Karttunen, Lauri; Hynnä, Teemu; Ranta, Samuli; Miettunen, Kati

PublisherElsevier

Publication year2026

Journal: Applied Energy

Article number127022

Volume402

IssuePart B

ISSN0306-2619

eISSN1872-9118

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.127022

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.127022

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505498909


Abstract

This work presents a comprehensive analysis on the impact of the environment on a large-scale east-west oriented vertical bifacial agrivoltaic installation in high latitude conditions. These vertical panels perform particularly well in high latitudes due to low sun elevation angles and long summer days. Along with atmospheric effects, these conditions necessitate different models to produce accurate PV system results, as low latitude results are not applicable. As solar photovoltaic (PV) power production continues to grow, effective dual use of land, such as integrating PV production to agricultural land (agrivoltaics), becomes attractive to increase energy independence and grid resilience. The specific novelties of this study are defining of the impact of (1) row spacing and on solar panel energy yield, revenue and row spacing on crop irradiation loss, and (2) an analysis of shading objects at high latitudes. The Yang2 decomposition model was used, alongside measured and satellite derived irradiance data for Finland at 60°N and verified with a measured power production (R2 of 0.975). At row separation of 10 m equivalent to 10 % land coverage, crops received 79.9–82.5 % irradiance compared with an unshaded reference. Energy output was 276–280 kWh and revenues 13.04–13.25 EUR per panel (2019). The variation comes from different crops, winter barley cultivation resulted in the highest energy yield and revenue. These yields were achieved using only a fraction of the land leaving the rest for agriculture, highlighting the potential of vertical agrivoltaic installations in high latitude locations.


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Funding information in the publication
The project was funded by the Strategic Research Council established within the Research Council of Finland Decision No. 358542 (KM, SJ, MS, TH, LK) and Decision No. 359141 (SR) and the city of Salo and University of Turku HEMS-project (LK).


Last updated on 2025-26-11 at 09:31