S15 - Session P3 - Impact of an agrivoltaic system on Aloe vera growth in a semi-arid climate

Authors: Virginia Hernández, José Cos, Roberto Andrés, Miriam Di Blasi, María Genovese, Pilar Hellín, Fulgencio Contreras, Alfonso Guevara, José Fenoll, Pilar Flores

Agrivoltaic allows coexistence between the production of photovoltaic energy and the development of crops. This concept is of particular interest in regions such as the southeast of Spain where agriculture is one of the main drivers of the economy and where the solar radiation conditions (3348 h year -1 and 5.7 kw h m ˗2 day -1 in the Region of Murcia) make it a location with great potential for photovoltaic energy generation. The aim of this work is to find out the impact of the photovoltaic plant on the development of Aloe vera, a crop of great medicinal interest with low water and fertilizer requirements, adapted to the environmental conditions of the area (cold semi-arid climate and low rainfall). For this purpose, three cultivation zones were established: space without panels used as a control (zone 1), corridors between panels, in shade for part of the photoperiod (zone 2) and under panels, in shade for the whole photoperiod (zone 3). The semi-shade (zone 2) and shade (zone 3) produced by the photovoltaic panels modified the leaf color, biomass and morphology of the Aloe vera plant compared to those grown in the control zone. While plants grown under photovoltaic panels (zone 3) showed lower height and biomass than those grown under control conditions (zone 1), plants in zone 2 showed the greatest vegetative development, with significant differences compared to the control in plant height and leaf length, width and thickness. The results indicate that the intermittent shade and the microclimate generated by the photovoltaic panels in the corridor zone between panels could contribute to minimizing the impact of stress caused by high solar radiation and high temperature, improving the growth of the Aloe vera plants.