"The project isn’t just a milestone for agrivoltaics in Europe due to its size," said Schletter’s CEO, Florian Roos. "Above all, it shows how agriculture, biodiversity preservation, and clean power generation can be effectively combined."
The planning centered around maximizing the electricity yield and optimally adapting to the requirements of agriculture while promoting biodiversity through hedges and flowering strips and the complete dismantling of the system at the end of its service life.
"This holistic approach serves as a role model and is an important impetus for the expansion of Agri-PV in Austria and beyond," adds Roos.
A total of 260,000 PV modules were installed on around 180 hectares of farmland in the municipalities of Wallern and Tadten in the Austrian province of Burgenland. The modules were mounted on the Schletter Tracking System 2V in an east-west orientation. Each tracker is fitted with two modules in portrait format, creating a table width of 4.9 meters and allowing the farmer to set the system to ‘cultivation mode’ with a smartphone or tablet.
In "cultivation mode", the module table stands almost vertically with an inclination angle of 70 degrees. In this position, the drive-through width for agricultural machinery is approximately 6 meters. "This allows us to achieve a very slim system despite the large table width, so that over 75% of the arable land can be used for agriculture," explains Fabian Madl, Key Account Manager at Schletter, who is leading the project.
A 1.6-metre-wide biodiversity strip with native plants and herbs are to be created beneath the rows using a local seed mixture. Together with specially planted hedges and bushes on site, the strip will create an ideal and interconnected habitat for birds, bats, and insects whose colonization will be supported with nesting aids.
"The strip under the tracking system is therefore not wasted space, but a valuable habitat for essential and beneficial insects and pollinators," adds Madl.
The dismantling of the system at the end of its 40-year service life was also considered during the planning stage. The system is mounted on corrosion-protected steel posts driven into the ground without concrete foundations. The posts can be pulled out of the ground without leaving any residue, and the entire system can be easily and completely dismantled.
The Agri-PV system unlocks several other commercial and environmental benefits. Particularly in dry years, the partial shading provided by the modules ensures less evaporation and improves the water balance; soil erosion caused by wind and drought is reduced; and crop rotation and cultivation are to be scientifically monitored so that the experience gained can be utilized for future projects.
The project was realized by Sonnenbau GmbH, a subsidiary of Burgenland Energie. This is Schletter’s third major project with Burgenland Energie in Austria. In 2023, Schletter supplied the systems for a 7.5 MWp roof-mounted system at Steyr Automotive and a 116 MWp ground-mounted project in Nickelsdorf. Both plants are among the largest of their kind in Austria.
