Investing in renewable energy sources is a good way to become independent from public energy suppliers – especially in the case of large industrial plants, farmers and single- or multi-family buildings. In practice, the use of solar energy in agriculture allows for the optimization of crop and animal husbandry costs. So when is it worth deciding to install photovoltaics to produce electricity in agriculture? We have prepared a guide, explaining the technical requirements and the advantages and disadvantages of photovoltaics in agriculture.
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Efficient use of photovoltaics on unused land
Investing in photovoltaic installation systems allows many farmers to make optimal use of land that is not used for crops. How is this possible? Such land can be used to produce electricity not only for their own needs, but also for resale to other farms in the area.
By producing electricity on unused agricultural land, we can strive for energy independence and also generate additional profits, e.g. by reselling energy. In addition to the obvious reduction in the farmer's bills, we also take care of the natural environment - lower consumption of electricity from public suppliers means less CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
An alternative option that a farm with unused land can use is to lease land for photovoltaic panels . Using land in this way is a sure-fire way to invest in the development of renewable energy technologies while increasing the efficiency of agriculture.
Photovoltaic panels for agriculture – which ones are worth choosing?
While there are many PV modules on the market that are worth considering for farmers, there are a few models that are particularly worth paying attention to:
- JA Solar 550W JAM72S30-550/MR SF Photovoltaic Panel – is an efficient monocrystalline panel, which is covered by a 12-year warranty. The cell efficiency in this case is 21.3%.
- JA Solar 550W JAM72D30-550/GB SF photovoltaic panel – a modern, two-sided, bifacial module, for which we receive a 25-year manufacturer's warranty on the output power.
- Photovoltaic set, JA solar PV panel, Huawei inverter and 10kW 400W hermetic distribution board – this is a great choice for a smaller farm that needs an additional power source, e.g. water pumps or sprinklers in agricultural fields.
Tax relief for photovoltaics for agriculture
Although farmers investing in photovoltaics face significant challenges, e.g. related to the terrain in mountainous locations, it is definitely worth striving for the sustainable development of farms by using the most promising solutions, i.e. photovoltaic installations for agriculture.
When deciding on a photovoltaic installation for agriculture, we can take advantage of the agricultural relief. According to Article 3 of the Agricultural Tax Act, the investment relief in tax due to the investment in a photovoltaic installation is available to payers of agricultural land who are:
- landowners,
- owners of independent lands,
- users of perpetual land,
- possessors of land that is the property of the State Treasury.
The minimum statutory area of land qualifying for investment relief for farmers is 1 ha.
The investment relief makes investing in an installation that produces electricity from sunlight for agriculture really profitable. Currently, the relief is a deduction of 25% of documented expenses related to the purchase and installation of a system called photovoltaics. In addition to tax relief, farmers can use various forms of subsidies.
Additionally, farms can use high amounts of subsidies from three programs: the National Agroenergy Program, the Priority Program "AO - Atmosphere Protection" and the EKO - CLIMATE, Water, Air, Land Program.
Thanks to numerous subsidies, farms can continuously invest in activities that will make increasing energy independence a reality.
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Photovoltaics as a solution for growers
By producing electricity that is fed into the power grid, farms can optimize the costs of maintaining buildings, machines and crops.
The applications of photovoltaics for growers are varied and include:
- solar powered water pumps,
- effective lighting of fields for crops and areas around agricultural buildings,
- efficient cooling and ventilation systems, e.g. in places intended for crop storage,
- power supply to farm buildings and warehouses.
It is also worth adding that the use of photovoltaics also makes agriculture more modern. Systems of this type can provide the necessary energy to power intelligent farm management systems, e.g. automatic fertilizer dosing and irrigation systems. In this case, ready-made photovoltaic sets for use by modern agriculture will work perfectly.
How can photovoltaics increase crop efficiency?
In practice, photovoltaic agriculture contributes to the protection of the natural environment, while the farmer gains the possibility of efficient cultivation. The use of technology for converting renewable energy sources into electricity allows for the abandonment of most services provided by energy suppliers.
So how do photovoltaics and energy storage contribute to efficient farming? There are a few factors worth considering:
- photovoltaic modules have an efficiency of up to several dozen years, so they do not pollute the natural environment,
- properly planned arrangement of photovoltaic panels allows for optimal management of agricultural land,
- Installations with PV modules do not negatively affect crop growth – what’s more, they can actually translate into faster harvesting.
Farmers, by implementing such an investment on their farm, can not only reduce the maintenance costs of the entire farm. Properly placed PV modules on agricultural land can generate shade, which is beneficial for some crops, e.g. blueberries.
Technical requirements and installation of a photovoltaic system on agricultural land
By contributing to increasing the level of environmental protection through investing in photovoltaics, we also gain a real reduction in bills, e.g. for heating farm buildings.
Before we decide to install photovoltaics on agricultural land, we must meet several requirements:
- soil of class IV or lower,
- maximum distance of 200 m from power lines,
- easy access to a public road from the plot,
- no contraindications to the installation of PV modules in the local development plan.
Additionally, when investing in photovoltaics, you must obtain a building permit and a decision on development conditions – this applies to installations with a capacity of up to 50 kW.
Photovoltaics is becoming increasingly popular, and the environment is certainly grateful to us for implementing such investments. Although in some regions of the country the variability of energy production from such an installation may be significant, in most cases we can note an increase in savings related to the consumption of electricity supplied by state-owned power plants.
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