Food & Energy

The plants are spread over five sites, each equipped with a battery storage system and separate circuit for independent and reliable power supply of the main consumers, e.g. for medical care centre. The plants were built at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka and at the Centre for Atmospheric Research - National Space Research and Development Agency (CAR - NASRDA) in Abuja.

The YESPVNIGBEN research project is led by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and funded by BAMF. On behalf of Forschungszentrum Jülich, SUNfarming has installed the training and research facilities as dual-use concepts "Food & Energy".

In addition to supplying energy, the facilities are used for research purposes. Professors at the university report: "Unfortunately, there is no proper electricity supply in Nsukka and the rest of the country. There are frequent power outages. The duration of the outages varies, sometimes it takes days. This is why obtaining important scientific data, in addition to the supply of electricity, is so important."
Other areas of research include
- Light transmission of the modules and effects on the cultivation of vegetables and herbs
- Temperature of the modules in connection with performance and service life
- A weather station measures the environmental parameters, the data is analysed online

All systems were assembled by local teams under the guidance of SUNfarming engineers. Necessary further assembly, repair and maintenance work will be carried out independently by these trained local employees in the future. Support from Germany is guaranteed at all times. To ensure operational safety, the entire system will be evaluated via a digital monitoring platform.

Several thousand farmers from Germany, but also from countries such as Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Canada and the USA - came to the SUNfarming stand to find out about Agri-PV solutions for both animals and special crops. More than 1,000 hectares of potential Agri-Solar areas were included in the early SUNfarming planning in Germany.

For more than 10 years, SUNfarming has been developing Agri-PV solutions with glass-glass modules and rainwater distribution system under the modules with its own engineers and has been researching them for many years in different developing countries of the world under extreme climatic conditions as well as with different types of plants. Due to the climate changes as well as the energy crisis in Germany, farmers from all over Germany and neighbouring countries were very interested in the SUNfarming solutions. They were particularly enthusiastic about the well thought-out solution for keeping animals on pastures protected by Agri-PV all year round.

Due to the rainwater separation and the semi-transparent modules, which allow approx. 15 % light to pass through, plant growth is ensured under the modules, CO2 remains in the soil due to the areal moisture distribution. The agricultural status of the land is maintained with SUNfarming Agri-PV. As a partner of the farmer, SUNfarming places particular emphasis on the agricultural concept, which is developed together with the farmer and his agricultural advisor. SUNfarming Agri-PV is ideally suited for areas with low soil points as well as arable land for special crops (fruit/vegetables) and for animal welfare-oriented livestock farming, as well as for moorland that is to be re-wetted.

The Agri-Photovoltaic system consists of three tables, each 12.7 m(W) x 5.5 m (D), the total size of the system is about 200 m2. One table of the plant was aligned classically to the south and the other two tables to the east and west.

After the absolutely smooth installation of the plant on a field directly adjacent to the Hemp FARM, the areas were started to be covered with different crops in mid-May. The following selection was made: Artemisia was planted on one third of the area, some rows were planted outside in the open as comparative objects. On another third of the area, tomato plants of different varieties with different colours and sizes of fruits were placed. On the rest of the area, three different short-straw seed varieties of industrial hemp are growing, some rows planted with nettle and herbs.
"All the plants, without exception, have grown well and developed excellently. Seasonally, we are concerned with the mould resistance of the cannabis plants under the PV system. The time is now beginning when problems with mould often arise with the cannabis flowers and fruiting units outdoors because the moisture from precipitation is not dried by the sun. The rain protection for the plants provided by the PV system works wonderfully," explains Rafael Dulon, founder and managing director of Hanf Farm GmbH, enthusiastically.

Again and again, talks are held with interested farmers who come to see the plant. Mayors and community representatives of other municipalities inform themselves about the possibilities of agri-photovoltaics and its sustainable dual-use concepts.

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These are our topics:

SUNfarming Eco- and Agri-Solar systems with double added value for the energy turnaround:
SUNfarming continues to set the course and focus on biodiversity solar parks. With the two concepts "Eco-Solar" and "Agri-Solar" SUNfarming has set the course for project planning for solar parks on former agricultural land. With the dual-use concept for open space plants, SUNfarming can significantly expand the biodiversity of the land in addition to producing green electricity.

SUNfarming own power concept for municipalities and businesses:
0 % investment costs, on average at least 10 % electricity cost savings in the first 10 years (for municipal electricity), 100 % CO2 savings.

SUNfarming International:
Projects from Poland, Turkey and South Africa introduce themselves.

SUNfarming Food & Energy Projects:
Unique Food & Energy greenhouses developed by SUNfarming deliver jobs + food + energy where they are urgently needed.

SUNfarming Solar Training Centre in South Africa:
More than 3,500 trainees by 2022 in South Africa. Our commitment does not end with funding.

SUNfarming Home Solar:
Produce your own electricity on your roof.

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With these funds, the non-profit association in South Africa can include more kindergartens and schools in the urgently needed "school lunch" project and further expand its sustainable development aid regionally.
"We have seen what we can create with and for the local people," explains Edith Brasche from FEED. "Our goal is to go beyond self-sufficiency to create new jobs and income for local people in agriculture and vegetable and medicinal herb cultivation by offering them the opportunity to grow under the SUNfarming Food & Energy facilities free of charge after the trainings. When selling the surplus of vegetables and medicinal herbs, we support the former trainees so that they can build up a successful small business in the long run. The sponsoring of AURUBIS AG will bring us a big step forward and promote a sustainable support of the trainees over three years", says Edith Brasche.

In addition to local projects in the countries where it operates, Aurubis has also been involved at an international level since 2019. After projects in Peru and Chile, Aurubis has also been supporting the non-profit association F.E.E.D. in South Africa, more precisely in the Potchefstroom region, for the first time since 2021.
Stefanie Klein, Social Engagement Aurubis AG, explains why: "We are pleased to be able to support F.E.E.D., a project that combats malnutrition, provides training in sustainable, ecological food cultivation and promotes the use of resource-saving technologies. The important approach of helping people to help themselves is in the foreground here, because targeted knowledge transfer enables the people in the project to participate in society - and ultimately it contributes to the further development of an entire region. For these reasons, this holistic project is an excellent fit for us and our focus areas."

FEED has so far been able to distribute 7.57 million servings of "Vitality Porridge" to 24,000 school and kindergarten children and 100,000 family members as part of its cooperation with SUNfarming in DEG's COVID-19 Response Programme in 2021. More than 1,000 township residents, many of them women, were trained in sustainable agriculture in the agri trainings and new community or school gardens were planted every week, which are now used to feed the population and the children in the schools and kindergartens in the long term.
You can find out more about FEED at www.feed-ev.de.