Work

Land-Use Efficiency of Agrivoltaic Systems Under Different Photovoltaic Configurations in an Andean–Amazon Transition Region of Peru

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Agrivoltaic systems offer a pathway to simultaneously produce food and electricity, yet their effectiveness depends on how photovoltaic configurations influence crop productivity under specific environmental conditions. This study evaluated land-use efficiency in an Andean–Amazon transition region using monofacial, bifacial, and semitransparent photovoltaic configurations integrated with a maize–bean intercrop. Land-use efficiency was quantified through the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER), combining agricultural yield and electrical energy production. All configurations achieved LER values above 1.0, confirming a clear advantage over separate land use. The semitransparent configuration showed the highest LER (1.95–1.99), followed by bifacial (1.66–1.90) and monofacial systems (1.51–1.72). LER variation was driven primarily by crop productivity rather than energy yield, while normalized photovoltaic performance remained stable across configurations. These results demonstrate that agrivoltaic performance is governed by system-level crop response, emphasizing the role of photovoltaic design in optimizing food–energy systems under tropical mountain conditions.

Source: Energies

DOI: 10.3390/en19081881