05.11.24 - 06.11.24
Palacio Neptuno, Madrid
Panel discussion with the industry representatives of politics, agriculture and photovoltaics on:
10:00 - 11:30
Deep-dive into current regulations within the EU and how these translate to its member states and individual farms.
13:30 - 14:30
Best practice applications and shared experience on how to improve yield and quality of produce through AgriVoltaics.
16:05 - 17:00
Best practice applications and shared experience on small & large scale AgriVoltaics. And an open discussion about its greatest challenge yet: scaling up.
16:05 - 17:00
A focus on cost efficiency and bankability: The challenges of funding AgriVoltaics projects and how to go about it in the best way. A discussion on investment market readiness, investor expectations and debt finance.
09:00 - 10:00
This panel will explore the political economy of agrivoltaics in Europe, and its implications for other regions, including its role in helping countries reach their Paris climate agreement and biodiversity goals, and other relevant targets, as well as their strategies for transformation toward genuinely sustainable food systems. The conversation will also address challenges in scaling up investments in sustainable agrivoltaic approaches in Europe and further afield, especially at the nexus of food, energy and water security.
11:30 - 13:00
13:45 - 15:00
This is a preliminary program and is subject to change.
Status as of October 11, 2024
A highly advanced regulatory system is crucial to pursue the deployment of Agri-PV, which is probably the most important example of the great attitude in innovation shown by solar technology to successfully meet the energy, environmental and food challenges of the energy transition.
Celeste Mellone, Green Horse Legal AdvisoryIntegrating robotics into agrivoltaics isn't just about efficiency—it transforms how we manage energy and agriculture. With automation, we can improve land usage, food production and solar energy outputs towards a future of sustainable farming.
Cláudia Fernandes, EDPAgri-PV is much more than growing crops under the panels. It involves highly complex business relationships among extremely diverse sectors. Projects’ success will depend on the ability to create space for trust-based dialogue. It is not a PV vs. Agriculture zero-sum game. It can be a win-win.
Costanza Rizzo, StatkraftScalability will make the success of Agri-PV. The substructure is an integral part of agri-PV systems. Striking the right balance between “customisation” and “standardisation” will be key. In this regard we need to learn to what extent the individual requirements of the crops and needs for system standardisation contradict each other.
Christof Thannbichler, ZIMMERMANN PV-Steel GroupAgri-PV merges regenerative agriculture with clean energy production. By using land for both food and energy, we reduce resource competition, increase farm resilience, and promote a greener future. Scaling Agri-PV can turn farmland into dual-use spaces for efficient food and energy generation. It’s time to harness this synergy and take it to the next level.
Fabian Neu, RWEAgrivoltaics is not just “one thing”, but rather an infinite dynamic set of combinations of {Climates, Crops, PV Configurations, Compatibilities, and Collaborations}. C×C×C×C×C = ∞
James Macdonald, LaborelecAgrivoltaics is today a leader in new types of electricity production from solar sources. In the CZ, we took a different approach than other countries and started building agrivoltaics based on agricultural legislation. I believe that soon it will be possible to permit real agrovoltaic projects in the CZ and that we will also inspire neighbouring countries with this approach.
Jiří Bím, Czech Solar AssociationLooking forward to participating in the Agri-PV Finance and Business Models session at the Agrivoltaics Industry Forum Europe in Madrid. I will be presenting how financing and business models challenges in Agrivoltaics projects could be addressed by data collection and appropriate technology.
Noam Schwartz, SolarEdge