The circular economy and sustainability are becoming increasingly important in agriculture. This also applies to the transition of farms to photovoltaics. This also includes the dual use of land for additional solar power production. The supplier of such systems Agrosolar Europe has therefore now developed a mounting system whose load-bearing parts do not require any steel at all. They are made exclusively from renewable raw materials.
High load-bearing capacity achieved
Agrosolar Europe developed the lightweight system together with filament manufacturer Fibr. The substructure has been undergoing trials since 2023. This year, Agrosolar Europe is planning to build the first pilot project before the system goes into series production in 2026.
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Materials such as flax, carbon, wood fibre or other renewable raw materials are processed to produce the substructure in such a way that they are particularly strong. The new structures resemble trees rather than buildings and blend in perfectly with the landscape, emphasise the project partners. The spun lightweight construction of the organic material not only achieves a particularly high load-bearing capacity. At the same time, the use of natural materials is reduced by 90 per cent.
Less weight, faster installation
By dispensing with steel, Agrosolar also claims a weight saving of 90 per cent compared to previous constructions. This makes the substructure for agri-PV systems easier and cheaper to assemble, as fewer machines and personnel are required.
More acceptance for agri-PV
Agrosolar Europ assumes that the use of renewable materials will also further improve public acceptance of agri-PV. "In future, we will be able to manufacture our agri-PV systems from the very materials that are grown under the systems," emphasises Markus Haastert, Managing Director of Agrosolar Europe. "We are thus bringing value creation back to Germany and minimising dependencies on other markets."
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Moritz Dörstelmannn, founder and CEO of Fibr, adds: "With our resource-efficient lightweight construction method, extremely long-span, high-load-bearing support structures can be produced. In cooperation with Agrosolar Europe, we can optimally utilise this technology to create sustainable and efficient solutions for agriculture," he says. (su/mfo)
