Paris-based Feedgy has unveiled new HS-B96 agrivoltaic PV panels specifically designed for market gardening, arboriculture and floriculture. It co-developed the modules with China’s Huasun, which will manufacture them.
“Around 85% of our customers are farmers to whom we already offer repowering solutions or the installation of new solar power plants on their sheds,” Coline Magne, Feedgy’s marketing project manager. “It was therefore logical for us to continue innovating to offer them a new source of income by solarizing their greenhouses, too.”
Due to Feedgy’s simulation tools, the panels can be adapted to the dimensions of greenhouse glazing.
“The semi-transparent panels are a good alternative between conventional photovoltaic greenhouses, which lack efficiency due to poor light management, and dynamic shading on photovoltaic trackers, which require constant monitoring and involve expensive maintenance,” said the company.
Feedgy said the global agrivoltaics market was valued at €3.3 billion ($3.6 billion) in 2021 and is expected to reach €8.6 billion by 2031, with an annual growth rate of 10.1%.
The HS-B96 modules are TÜV Rheinland-certified. They feature 96 HJT cells and are available in five power ratings, from 300 Wp to 320 Wp, with efficiencies ranging from 13.9% to 14.8%.
The new modules have a transparency of 39% and a photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) transmission rate of 33%.
“To achieve the same PAR transmission, the competition has to increase the module’s transparency to at least 49%, so they have a lower PV yield per unit area,” Magne said. “In other words, our module has the lowest optical loss on the market.”
The modules have a temperature coefficient of -0.26% per degree Celsius for greater performance stability in hot climates, and a bifaciality rate of 90%.
The HS-B96 panels, developed in-house over a 10-year period and patented by Feedgy, debuted at the Energaïa trade show in Montpellier in December 2023. The company said it will exclusively market them in France.