CFD Modelling of Vertical Agrivoltaic Systems: Assessing Wind and Radiation Impacts on Agricultural Environments in Scania.

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) technology will be a crucial part of shifting the energy sector
towards more sustainable electricity production. However, conventional ground-
mounted PV systems often compete for arable land, leading to land-use conflicts
between the energy sector and the agricultural food sector. Agrivoltaics (APV),
can bridge this conflict by integrating solar energy production with farming on the
same land, offering a synergistic solution. This thesis focuses on developing and
applying a method to analyse the microclimatic impacts, particularly on wind dis-
tribution and its implications, of ground-mounted vertical bifacial APV systems
within the significant agricultural region of Scania, Sweden. Utilizing Compu-
tational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with the open-source software OpenFOAM, this
study modeled a representative APV site after validating the simulation method-
ology against benchmark cases. The research investigated how APV installations,
including variations in inter-row spacing, affect local wind velocity profiles, turbu-
lence patterns, and consequently, their potential influence on agriculturally rele-
vant processes such as wind erosion, crop evapotranspiration and ambient temper-
ature deviations. Key findings indicate that vertical APV systems can substan-
tially mitigate wind-related agricultural risks in Scania. Simulations demonstrated
a potential reduction in wind erosion risk by 85-94% for winds perpendicular to
the panel rows. While the area between the first and second rows experienced
increased turbulence and wind speeds, subsequent rows benefited from enhanced
sheltering effects. Furthermore, the APV system was shown to reduce evapotran-
spiration rates by up to 5.54% under Scania’s specific climatic conditions, sug-
gesting considerable potential for water conservation. The overall wind-reducing
effectiveness was observed to be dependent on the inflow angle relative to the
panels. Furthermore, the study was capable of partly recreating results from
other studies, using major simplifications, to make the models more applicable
for users without access to costly software or extensive computational resources.
This research concludes that strategically deployed vertical bifacial APV systems
are well-suited for the Scania region. They offer tangible benefits in diminishing
wind-induced soil erosion and reducing crop water demand, thereby fostering more
resilient agricultural practices and promoting sustainable co-use of land for food
and energy production.

Popular Abstract

The electricity and heat sector remains the world’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the urgent need for more renewable energy. Solar power, particularly photovoltaic (PV) systems, will play a central role in this transition. However, large-scale PV installations often require substantial land, which
can lead to conflicts with food production, especially when the land is arable.
In Sweden, arable land is legally considered a national asset. Any project that seeks to use such land must demonstrate significant national interest, a difficult and time-consuming process for every new large-scale PV site.
But what if we didn’t have to choose between food and energy? Agrivoltaics (APV) offers a solution by combining farming and solar energy production on the same land. In APV systems, crops grow under or between solar panels, while still allowing farming machinery to operate as usual.
This thesis focuses on the Scania region in southern Sweden and finds that inter-row APV systems, where crops grow between rows of vertical, bifacial PV panels, are especially well-suited to the area. These panels face east and west, capturing sunlight during the morning and evening hours.
Beyond system design, the core question was: how do these vertical PV rows affect the local wind and temperature between the panels? And more importantly, how do those changes affect farming?
To investigate this, the thesis used advanced computer simulations (CFD) with the open-source software OpenFOAM. The simulations showed how wind interacts with the panels and how this impacts key agricultural factors such as soil erosion, crop water loss, and temperature.
The findings are promising. Vertical panels can reduce wind erosion risks by up to 94%, protecting topsoil and freshly sown seeds, a major benefit in windy areas like Scania. They also help crops retain moisture by reducing water loss through evaporation by up to 5.5%. While wind speeds and turbulence increase slightly between the first rows, areas further in benefit from enhanced wind protection.
In addition, this thesis simulated the daily temperature evolution of the panels using a solar radiation model in OpenFOAM. A simplified setup, ignoring heat exchange between the two panel faces, proved capable of partially recreating results from more complex studies. This suggests a path toward efficient, resource- friendly modelling for future research and applications.
What makes this work stand out is its focus on free, open-source tools and streamlined methods, making the approach accessible to planners, researchers, and even farmers without needing high-end hardware or expensive software.
In short, solar panels on farmland don’t have to compete with food production. With careful design, we can produce both crops and clean energy, making agriculture more climate-resilient while supporting the energy transition.

• author: Opolka, Janeck
• supervisor: Christer Fureby
• organization: Department of Energy Sciences
• course: MVKM05 20251
• year: 2025
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Technology and Engineering
• keywords: APV, Vertical Agrivoltaic, Wind Erosion, Evapotranspitration, OpenFOAM
• report number: ISRN LUTMDN/TMPH-25/5642-SE
• ISSN: 0282-1990
• language: English
• id: 9200485
• date added to LUP: 2025-06-23 08:30:27
• date last changed: 2025-06-23 08:30:27