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Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience Belgian researchers are testing agrivoltaic power generation in a pear orchard The first pilot project features specially designed 185 W solar panels with transparent backsheets A Belgium-based energy research team led by the KU Leuven has developed an agrivoltaic pilot project in Bierbeek They specifically designed the system for orchard crops The pilot plant is of the first outcome of a  technology transfer project funded by the Flemish government and co-funded by 20 unspecified companies It is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of agrivoltaics in Belgium The project includes the planned installation of two more agrivoltaic set-ups with bifacial solar tracking and fixed stilted structures by March 2021 “The installation is being tested in an orchard for pear trees,” researcher Brecht Willockx told pv magazine Pear trees are considered ideal for agrivoltaics as they need protection from hail through the use of hail nets “This is positive for the landscape pollution and social acceptance as there is already a construction for protection that is being replaced by an active PV system,” Willockx said noting that pear trees are permanent crops without yearly rotations “To optimally protect the pears against hail damage we placed our PV modules on top of the trees in well-considered domes,” Willockx explained “This has a nice side effect that during certain moment of the day the shade is ‘falling’ between the tree rows while at the same time they are protected against hail.” which were specially designed by the research team based on the height of the agricultural machinery that is commonly used for pear trees The selected modules feature transparent backsheets and conventional equally spaced 156 x 156 mm silicon cells with 21% efficiency The choice of silicon cells was based on economic considerations and proven reliability The selected modules are from Slovenian manufacturer Bisol's Lumina series it must be mentioned that for much larger systems and the use in agriPV applications the price would reduce drastically,” Willockx said also created a novel agrovoltaic simulation tool to calculate the energy production and tree light interception we could model the cell-configuration of the semi-transparent modules,” Willockx said “Cell rows in parallel of the tree rows results in a homogeneous light distribution and offer the best solution for a fixed system.” Each of the modules has 36 cells divided into four rows of nine cells which results in a transparency level of 40% and total module output of 185 W “There is always a tradeoff between the transparency level and the PV power,” Willockx said noting that higher transparency levels will result in lower PV power density there is also a financial transparency limit: The needed PV power and energy returns must be calculated in function of the fixed structural costs to be financial attractive … This in combination with the needed transparency levels for the crop growth explains the complex design of agriPV set ups.” is big enough to take the light boundary effects into account for research purposes “Our colleagues from KU Leuven bioscience engineering and are further investigating the effect on the pear yields and the pear quality,” Willockx said The researchers plan to publish their results in the near future More articles from Emiliano Bellini Many commercial fruit orchards use dwarfing stocks I’ve even seem olives grown in the same linear hedge style Agrivoltaics are knocking on an open door I hate it so much when the doom and gloom merchants claim that solar arrays take up too much room It pleases me when I see these new agrivoltaics systems being developed since they can be installed wherever there are farms Please be mindful of our community standards and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. × The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this Close and tall house sits upon a beautiful site with endless views of the green landscape in bierbeek unfortunately it is located next to a truckers company the building itself acts as a screen to cover up the unsightly and noisy neighbor all images © luc roymans the belgian based dmoa architects designed ‘the screen’ house maximizing the vistas from each space inside the project. the head of the lengthy residence contains the garage above it lies the children’s bedrooms where the volume shifts towards the left and opens to the greenery through a large window the children can marvel to the vista from their dormitories this displacement gives a nice dynamic to the front elevation the residence’s posterior end is cut at an angle and fully glazed the living room maximally enjoys the best part of the panorama the shape of the house which naturally arose from the conditions the windows are large and implanted consciously like gigantic wooden canvases that frame the landscape the building’s two notable volumes are shifted to offer an appreciation of the surrounding vistas and focused on the tranquility of the countryside the big windows are fitted along the outside with horizontal slats allowing the sun and the residents’ privacy to filter in as they please the vivacious brick material brings texture and character to the whole house while the interior continues the purity of form and materialisation there is a limited number of materials used throughout the project non-plastered walls in planked concrete and wood veneer with similar texture match harmoniously the white cast floor and white plastered ceiling let the concrete and veneer emerge even stronger the kitchen complements this palette with a locally cast concrete countertop and white artificial stone cabinets the atmosphere is warmed by wood parquet flooring ‘the screen’ house is a nice place to come after a busy day filled with impulse it is an isolated house from which you can stare for hours to the vast fields the big windows are fitted along the outside with screens and horizontal slats a vivacious brick material attributes texture and character to the whole house a garden door is aligned with the brick wall the large windows frame the surrounding landscape the horizontal slats cast a calm brightness in the bedrooms the white floor and white plastered ceiling let the concrete and veneer emerge even stronger the wood veneer matches harmoniously with the rest of the materials used in the interior designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here. edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Three years after the official introduction KU Leuven's farm complex in Lovenjoel (Bierbeek) has been transformed into a modern research centre for circular bioeconomy The aim is to scale up and optimise innovations to put them into practice more quickly Growing new crops for a more plant-based diet Processing green by-products into alternative chemical raw materials Biomedical research into new vaccine technologies More sustainable production of new building materials Scaling up hydrogen gas panels that can be used everywhere as a renewable energy source Even though the research projects vary widely they share a common basis: sustainability and a circular approach These are only a few examples of what happens at TRANSfarm The new research centre supports researchers in scaling up innovations in the bioeconomy and bioengineering from lab expertise to pilot scale in order to bring these new methods on the market and introduce them into society more quickly "KU Leuven is strongly committed to developing circular and sustainable processes for agriculture and industry but the journey from the lab to the practical implementation is usually complex" "TRANSfarm offers our scientists the opportunity to speed up this process which stands for translational  – practically applicable  – research and transformation in agriculture." TRANSfarm is the successor of the Zootechnical Centre in Lovenjoel The model farm was built in 1928 to provide the nearby psychiatric centre Salva Mater with food The farm also served as a research centre for the University the site has undergone a major transformation The old cowsheds and pigsties have made way for a modern and sustainable farm complex with lab zones and new animal houses the centre still leaves room for traditional research on farm animals Eight units for animal research on a higher biosafety level are also available which is essential for biomedical research into vaccines and medicines A new pilot hall was built that offers room to further develop technologies in various kinds of disciplines the Solhyd project will start up a pilot production line there: the innovative hydrogen gas panel converts sunlight and water vapour directly into hydrogen gas You'll also find the BioCon project at TRANSfarm which specialises in the refining of woody biomass (plant residues and waste wood) to develop sustainable alternatives to fossil raw materials The KU Leuven researchers behind the Solhyd project have been nominated for the European Inventor Award. You can vote for the Popular Prize on the website of the European Patent Office. TRANSfarm not only houses innovative research but also wants to play a pioneering role by working as climate-neutrally as possible The new construction project functions without fossil fuels: six thousand square metres of solar panels produce the energy needed Heat pumps guarantee the indoor climate in the different animal units and research areas successive filters reduce emissions from livestock This fossil fuel-free approach is in line with the European research project Hyperfarm The new construction project and renovation works cost KU Leuven seven million euros TRANSfarm can also count on support from the Flemish Government The Flemish Government invests nearly two million euros in research infrastructure for primary agricultural production "Society faces major challenges: how can we make progress without further harming the planet Engineering and Technology Group and responsible for Sustainability Policy we will have to cooperate across the boundaries of different disciplines and with the help of businesses TRANSfarm provides the right conditions for us to rise to the challenge."