Could Agrivoltaics Be Part of the Solution to Decarbonization in the Outermost Regions? Case Study: Gran Canaria

Abstract

Today, on the island of Gran Canaria, conventional photovoltaic installations are being implemented on the ground, with the excuse that electricity production must be decar bonized. This is located on a highly populated island, with a shortage of flat land, and a high dependence on food, in a biodiversity hot spot on the planet. We would like to point out that agrivoltaics could provide a double solution and allow the carbon footprint of this human settlement to be further reduced. In addition, it provides greater resilience to climate change, and by reducing dependence on the outside, it would minimize the effects suffered by pandemics such as SARS-CoV-2. It would also help mitigate water stress in one area facing serious water shortage problems. The reduction of local CO2 emissions would be achieved in four ways: production of clean electricity, reduction of the transport of fuel for electricity generation, reduction of the transport of food goods from abroad, and the absorption of CO2 together with the emission of O2 by the planted crops. It would also lead to greater job creation, a remedy against great soil desertification, stopping agricultural abandonment, and life in rural inland areas. This study analyzes two possible agrivoltaic installation configurations of equal power in a potato field: one with a vertical bifacial (VB) configuration and another with an optimum angle (OA). The monthly production is examined and, specifically, the economic income in the event of pouring all the production into the grid. All this takes into account the reality of the chosen place, the island of Gran Canaria (Spain).