Agri-PV reduces frost damage

At first, farmer Roland Wittner thought he had lost his entire poppy harvest for this year, that the frosty nights had ruined everything. Then, during an inspection of the EWS Sonnenfeld in Bruck/Leitha, he realised that not everything was ruined: the plants between the sun catchers had obviously fared better compared to the unobstructed reference area and had grown much more densely than on the reference areas without PV panels. This leads to the assumption that the PV panels provide a protective function against frost damage.

Organic farmer Roland Wittner is responsible for poppy cultivation at the EWS Sonnenfeld in Bruck/Leitha, he says: "Yes, you can definitely judge it that way. In any case, it is obvious that plant growth is clearly better, especially in the centre of the cultivation strips and where the cold wind does not reach. This year, you can also see very clearly in the wheat that the microclimate between the panels is different."

Protection from ground frost through sun catchers and PV modules

Installing PV modules above agricultural land can help to protect the soil from direct exposure to cold weather. In addition, PV modules can absorb heat during the day and radiate it at night, which can also help to raise the temperature near the modules. This can protect the soil from frost damage and reduce the risk of crop failure.

Although it is likely that the protective effect will not be sufficient in extremely low temperatures or prolonged periods of frost and the specific site conditions must also be taken into account, overall Agri-PV can still contribute to improving agricultural resilience to frost.