Location
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii
Event Website
https://hicss.hawaii.edu/
Start Date
3-1-2024 12:00 AM
End Date
6-1-2024 12:00 AM
Description
The concept of agrivoltaics, or co-locating photovoltaic panels and crops, is viewed as a potential solution to competing land demands for food and energy production. In this paper, we propose an optimal dual-axis photovoltaic panel formulation that adjusts the panel position to maximize power generation subject to crop requirements. Through convex relaxations and shading factor approximations, we reformulate the problem as a convex second-order cone program and solve for the panel position adjustments away from the sun-tracking trajectory. We demonstrate our approach in a case study by comparing our approach with an approach that maximizes solar power capture and a scenario in which there are only crops. We found that we are able to successfully adjust the panel position while accounting for the trade-offs between the photovoltaic panels’ energy production and the crop health. Additionally, optimizing the operation of an agrivoltaic system allows us to better understand agrivoltaic systems as a resource connected to the power grid.
Recommended Citation
Stuhlmacher, Anna; Mathieu, Johanna; and Seiler, Peter, "Optimizing Dual-Axis Solar Panel Operation in an Agrivoltaic System and Implications for Power Systems" (2024). Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2024 (HICSS-57). 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/hicss-57/es/renewable_resources/4
Optimizing Dual-Axis Solar Panel Operation in an Agrivoltaic System and Implications for Power Systems
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii
The concept of agrivoltaics, or co-locating photovoltaic panels and crops, is viewed as a potential solution to competing land demands for food and energy production. In this paper, we propose an optimal dual-axis photovoltaic panel formulation that adjusts the panel position to maximize power generation subject to crop requirements. Through convex relaxations and shading factor approximations, we reformulate the problem as a convex second-order cone program and solve for the panel position adjustments away from the sun-tracking trajectory. We demonstrate our approach in a case study by comparing our approach with an approach that maximizes solar power capture and a scenario in which there are only crops. We found that we are able to successfully adjust the panel position while accounting for the trade-offs between the photovoltaic panels’ energy production and the crop health. Additionally, optimizing the operation of an agrivoltaic system allows us to better understand agrivoltaic systems as a resource connected to the power grid.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/hicss-57/es/renewable_resources/4