Agrivoltaics for sugarcane
Brazilian scientists have investigated the potential of agrivoltaics on sugarcane fields and have found this combination may provide benefits in terms of both agricultural and electricity yield. Their results showed that under certain conditions the sugarcane yield below the panels can be higher than that of plots without PV.

Brazilian scientists have investigated the potential of agrivoltaics on sugarcane fields and have found this combination may provide benefits in terms of both agricultural and electricity yield. Their results showed that under certain conditions the sugarcane yield below the panels can be higher than that of plots without PV.
A research team from the Federal University of Alagoas in Brazil has investigated how agrivoltaic facilities could be integrated into sugarcane fields and has found that both the electric and agricultural yield benefit from this combination.
“Our analysis showed that crop yield was higher in the agrivoltaic environment as compared to the conventional environment cultivation,” the research's lead author, Leonardo Faustino Lacerda de Souza, told pv magazine. “These performances, combined with electrical production, led to high land use efficiency values. This is relevant for a state like Alagoas, where sugarcane covers around 324,500 hectares spread across 67 municipalities.”
The researchers conducted their measurements and analysis on a 71.4 kW south-oriented agrivoltaic system deployed in 2022 on a sugarcane field owned by Santa Clotilde Mill, which is adjacent to the campus of the Federal University of Alagoas, in the city of Maceió.
The system features 7 mounting structures featuring two columns and a 15 m horizontal axis each. The columns are made of rectangular hollow steel sections with dimensions of 250 x 150 mm, while the transverse beams are made with section beams with 200 mm height, 75 mm width, and 25 mm flange with 4.75. The beams provide lateral stability and transfer loads, while the columns serve as primary vertical support.
The structures are elevated from the ground at a height ranging from 7 m to 8 m and have each two rows of 15 polycrystalline solar modules with a power output of 340 W. Two inverters with a capacity of 33 kW and 40 kW, respectively, are used at the facility.
“The system allows for variation in the spacing between independent structural units, which modifies the level of shading on the crop,” the academics said. “The structure is anchored using reinforced foundation blocks, which ensures its stability under environmental loads.”
Through a series of tests and simulations conducted with PVsyst software, the group found that PV modules achieved an average of 9,068 kWh per month, a capacity factor of 124.36 kWh/kW, and a performance ratio of 16.88%, with best and worst months being December and April, respectively.
The analysis also showed that sugarcane yield in the agrivoltaic system was higher than a reference cultivation area without solar panels. Sugarcane stalk yield in the agrivoltaic areas was found to be 43.2% higher than in the reference area, which the scientists attributed to higher photosynthesis capacity. “We infer that sugarcane yield reflected the higher leaf area index (LAI) throughout growth in the agrivoltaic system,” they further explained.
These results were also attributed to the PV system's ability to adjust inter-unit distances and modify shading levels over the crops. “Our primary goal has been to provide the analytical tools necessary for designing and evaluating the performance of APV systems on sugarcane at any given time,” the academics concluded.
Their findings are available in the study “Agrophotovoltaic systems in sugarcane crop − A Brazilian case study,” published in Energy Conversion and Management.
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