Researchers at the Mälardalen University in Sweden have investigated the effects of a vertical agrivoltaic system on oat yield in Sweden during the 2024 growing season.
“One of the major challenges facing the agrivoltaic sector is the lack of crop performance data to support decision-making and policy development,” corresponding author Arash Khosravi told pv magazine. “In addition, these empirical datasets can support researchers working on crop modeling in agrivoltaic systems by providing data for crop model development and validation.”
The scientists examined examined oat Avena sativa L. cultivation under different agricultural photovoltaic configurations and compared this data with oat yield in ground-mounted reference systems and parcels without PV systems. Key parameters included leaf area index (LAI), kernel and straw dry matter yield, thousand kernel weight (TKW), crude protein content, and crude fat content. The dataset also enabled assessment of system design effects, including shading and microclimatic impacts on crop development under AV conditions. Field trials were conducted in 2024 at Kärrbo Prästgård, Sweden.
The vertical PV system consisted of 60 bifacial photovoltaic modules arranged in north–south-oriented rows, while the ground-mounted system comprised 32 bifacial modules arranged in two rows. Both systems differed in azimuth, tilt angle, row spacing, and installed capacity, enabling a structured comparison of crop–solar interactions. Oats were sown in May 2024 under rainfed conditions with standardized fertilization. Soil conditions were largely homogeneous across the site, characterized as slightly acidic clay loam with moderate fertility and balanced nutrient status.
The experimental design divided each system into spatial groups and subgroups, generating 55 replicate samples to capture within-field variability. Weather data were continuously recorded, including vapor pressure deficit (VPD), air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation. Conditions became progressively more humid from summer into early autumn, while rainfall exhibited pronounced episodic peaks in July and August. Overall, the setup enabled a detailed assessment of how agrivoltaic configuration, soil properties, and weather conditions jointly influence oat growth dynamics.
“Through our analysis, we have found that oat development during the growing season, as assessed by the biophysical parameter LAI, was greater under the vertical system than under ground-mounted conditions,” Khosravi said. “When land loss attributable to the PV panel structure was not considered, the total oat dry matter biomass under the vertical system was higher than that under open-field conditions, indicating a positive effect of the vertical system on oat productivity.”
“Interestingly, even after accounting for the 10% land loss attributable to the PV panel structure, the AV system produced more total oat biomass than the open field in one year,” he went on to say. “In the other year, total biomass production under the agrivoltaic system was nearly equal to that of the open field, with the agrivoltaic treatment producing only 106 kg/hectare less biomass than the open-field treatment. Considering crude protein and crude fat as indicators of oat kernel quality, no statistically significant differences were observed between the agrivoltaic system and open-field treatments.”
The research findings were presented in the paper “Data on the effect of vertical agrivoltaic systems on the crop performance of oat (Avena Sativa L.) cultivated in Sweden,” published in Data in Brief.
Another research group at the Mälardalen University recently investigated the effects of a vertical agrivoltaic system on barley yield and nutrient content in Sweden during the 2023 growing season. Moreover, other researchers at the Swedish university developed an algorithm to optimize electricity yield in agrivoltaic installations with vertically mounted bifacial PV modules, as well as a procedure for identifying and classifying suitable areas for the installation of agrivoltaic systems.
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