REC-UÉ will provide technical-scientific support for the study of alternative land use - in agrivoltaic systems - resulting in the production of reference conditions and the design of a pilot for agrivoltaic applications at the Divor Photovoltaic Central, located in Évora, a project owned by Hyperion Renewables.

The Divor Photovoltaic Central, with a signed agreement to inject 200 MVA into the grid by 2029, is currently in the licensing phase, having already been subjected to an assessment by the Portuguese Environmental Authority, with the corresponding issuance of a favorable Environmental Impact Statement.

It is expected that the Divor Photovoltaic Central will annually produce 554 GW of green electricity, equivalent to the consumption of approximately 273,122 households, and will avoid the emission of 118,604 tons of CO2 per year.

As the Divor Photovoltaic Central is a decisive project in the country's energy transition, there is a desire in the sector, shared by Hyperion Renewables, to research methodologies that minimize/optimize the impact at the level of land use. Thus, it is with the collaboration of CER-UÉ that a solution is sought in which it is possible to reconcile Agriculture with the photovoltaic park.

Throughout the project, the current conditions and scenario of the project site will be analyzed to select agricultural crops with added economic value or livestock farming techniques, with an analysis and diagnosis of impacts on the production of different shading regimes.

This study allows for the exploration of conditions with economic potential that contribute to increasing the economic viability of both the Photovoltaic Central and agrivoltaics. These findings will be useful and replicable in other photovoltaic centers in the municipality or even in other locations in the country, with the necessary adaptations.

Technical compatibility procedures will be used for agricultural production and conservation strategies with solar installation, designing robust systems, with minimal maintenance and observing key indicators, both agricultural and energy.

"Agrivoltaic application can represent an important contribution to the decarbonization of our economy, with benefits for agricultural exploitation and solar energy production, in a winning combination," says Luís Fialho, Technical Coordinator of the work and Principal Investigator of the Renewable Energy Chair at the University of Évora.

“This collaboration marks another important step in Hyperion's mission of continuous promotion of sustainable innovation. We believe that the development of new agrivoltaic solutions depends on partnerships like this, where it is possible to combine experience in solar projects with academic excellence. This innovation is especially important when applied to key national projects, such as the Divor Photovoltaic Central Project,” says Duarte Mourão, Director of Hyperion Renewables.