Shared soil use is one of the great controversies that continue to stir in the field: many farmers Do not see with good eyes that crops live together with solar panels. However, More and more studies are and projects They show that agrovoltaic can be a real optimization for the sector. In Álava, Iberdrola wants to try it with apple trees for cider.
Short. Iberdrola, in collaboration with the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz, will build a new plant agrovoltaic in Álava. This project will be developed on land assigned by the City Council within the Municipal Program “Vitoria-Gasteiz: Laboratory City”.
The agricultural exploitation will be in charge of Kuartángo Sidrería, a reference in agricultural research in the province, whose objective is to boost the local apple production for cider. For its part, the 901 KWen photovoltaic plates installation has been the only agrovoltaic project selected in the Basque Country within the first call for aid to innovative renewable energy and storage projects.
Panels between apple trees? As indicated Iberdrolathe project responds to a double need: produce green energy and, at the same time, improve agricultural performance. In this way, panels generate shadow over apple trees, reduce irradiation and thermal stress, protect against adverse weather of climate change, improve soil quality and reduce water consumption.
Technical innovations. The installation will have several innovations aimed at optimizing both energy production and crop. An artificial intelligence software, developed by the Basque company Powerful Tree, will adjust at all times the orientation of the plates to ensure the best performance of apple trees. The modules will be located on a porticated structure of 4.1 meters high, which will allow the growth of the trees and the transit of agricultural machinery. In addition, a high -strength steel cable system will be incorporated, designed to reduce maintenance costs.
The panels will be 700 W bifacial, capable of capturing solar energy on both sides, and will be accompanied by three investors with a total power of 750 kWn. The set will be completed with a 240 KWN storage system, which will offer a two -hour autonomy.
The Italian mirror. The Alava bet is not an isolated experiment. This new project remembers to the Volta winery in the pugliawhich installed 7,770 solar panels in its vineyards. The results were clear: the harvest
The results were clear: the harvest was delayed between three and four weeks (improving the quality of the grape), the consumption of irrigation water was reduced by 20 % and a greater balance between acidity and alcoholic degree in the wine was reached, without the need for artificial corrections. In addition, the system reduced the water stress of plants and allowed cultivating unusual varieties in the region.
Not only is it agrovoltaic. The formula also works with cattle. In Nueva Wales del Sur (Australia), A study demonstrated That sheepsay of sheep under solar panels improved the quality of wool. The explanation that underlies this situation is because the shadow of the modules allowed animals to have more varied and fresh grass access, while reducing maintenance costs by acting as a “natural corteped.”
Many examples, a conclusion. From the puglia to Australia and, now, in Álava, agrovoltaic is much more than an energy technology: it is a model of coexistence between the primary sector and the green transition.
And it is not about choosing, as is happening in some cases by The profitability of the land. Between that black and white a third way arises: agrovoltaic. In short, the future of the field does not go on to choose between sun or earth, but to combine them. In the agrarian Spain of 2025 a hectare is no longer measured only in kilos of cereal or liters of oil, but also in kilowatts. And in Álava, apple trees that will soon grow under solar panels could become a symbol of that new balance.
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