Application of a Dynamic Semitransparent Agrivoltaic Panel for Controlling Sunlight Allocation to Solar Cells and Crops

Deployment of photovoltaic (PV) panels over croplands (agrivoltaics), while using limited available land, provides the potential to alleviate energy instability and food supply instability exacerbated by climate change. The key to sustaining or improving agrivoltaic crop yields is PV panel semi-transparency. This study assesses effects of dynamic shading control and effects of PV semi-transparency on plant seedling growth. A temperature-controlled growth chamber with a lamp reproducing the solar irradiance transition of a sunny, summer day enables seedling response evaluation. A PV module with sparsely embedded micro-solar cells allowing for interstitial transparency, inserted between the lamp and cucumber seedlings, shades light throughout simulated daytime or temporarily around midday (9:30–14:30) when irradiance exceeds 800 W m⁻². Shading from the PV panel mitigates any increase in seedling temperature. The continuous PV shadow elongates spindly seedling hypocotyls. The temporary shading has no adverse effect on the dry matter accumulation of seedlings, whereas continuous shading suppresses it. These results demonstrate the benefits of temporary midday shading to sustain normal crop growth with agrivoltaics. The dynamically operated semi-transparent PV operation enables more granular and efficient apportionment of electrical energy and crop production.