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The excursion was organised by the Chamber of Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia and led by Josef Schmitz, Managing Director of VFL Heinsberg. Edith Seemann, Managing Director of SUNfarming Projektentwicklung and herself from the Heinsberg region, joined SUNfarming founder Peter Schrum on the tour of the innovative plant.

Insights into the future of agriculture
The visitors were given a comprehensive insight into the possibilities of agrivoltaics:
- Cattle farming, fruit, vegetable and herb cultivation under bifacial solar modules.
- Dual utilisation of the land, which is used both for agricultural purposes and to generate electricity.
- Increased yield and protection against extreme weather conditions such as hail and heavy rain.

Economic and ecological advantages
Edith Seemann and Peter Schrum emphasised the economic benefits of the concept:
- Upgrading set-aside areas: with Agri-PV, areas remain eligible for subsidies and retain their agricultural status.
- Up to 85 % eligible for subsidies: Additional income is generated through dual utilisation.

Enthusiasm and dialogue
The visit was characterised by a lively exchange between the farmers and SUNfarming experts. Edith Seemann: ‘It's great to receive visitors from my home country here in Rathenow and to show how agrivoltaics can contribute to an economic and ecological future.’
SUNfarming is looking forward to continuing to work with farmers to develop sustainable solutions and strengthen agriculture.

Agri-PV: sustainability and added value for agriculture

The SUNfarming agri and biodiversity solar concept combines agriculture and solar energy in a forward-looking way. In addition to energy generation, it offers significant advantages for animal husbandry and fruit and vegetable growing:
- Dual utilisation and increased yield: agricultural uses such as livestock farming and crop cultivation can be efficiently implemented under the bifacial glass-glass solar modules.
- Biodiversity and species diversity: The concept increases biodiversity on grassland and set-aside areas and fulfils the GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition) standards of the 2023-2027 CAP funding period.

Practical solutions

Edith Seemann highlighted how Agri-PV specifically contributes to the protection and optimisation of agricultural processes:
- Animal welfare: cattle, suckler cows, calves and poultry benefit from year-round outdoor housing with protection from weather extremes and predators.
- Efficient cultivation: Hail and heavy rain protection under the solar modules prevents crop losses. A patented rainwater distribution system ensures extensive irrigation and prevents soil erosion.
- Flexibility of use: The designs enable agricultural cultivation with smaller tractors and are also suitable for difficult soils, such as moorland with special root foundations.

Economic advantages and eligibility for subsidies

A particular highlight of the concept is the economic valorisation of set-aside areas:
- Dual utilisation enables agricultural use with simultaneous electricity generation.
- 85% of the land is eligible for subsidies and retains its agricultural status.

Conclusion: Agriculture and the energy transition go hand in hand

The concepts presented demonstrate how the agriculture of the future can not only be made more economically stable, but also more ecologically valuable. The innovative approaches of SUNfarming not only promote climate protection, but also make a decisive contribution to the preservation of biodiversity.

Edith Seemann concluded with the words: ‘Agrivoltaics is a win-win solution for agriculture and the environment. It is our responsibility to utilise these opportunities.’

This means that, with immediate effect, MR Mittelholstein is the exclusive machinery ring in Schleswig-Holstein for advising and supporting farmers with the implementation of SUNfarming agrivoltaic systems. Agri-photovoltaic pioneer SUNfarming, whose founding family from Dithmarschen has been active in agriculture for several generations, is one of the leading providers of agrivoltaic systems and develops the system technology and system substructures in Flensburg and Kiel.
In joint information events, to which Maschinenring Mittelholstein will be inviting people on 29 November and 10 December at the Nienborstel office, SUNfarming will be providing information specifically on the development, economic viability and approval processes for privileged 2.5 ha agri-PV systems close to farms.

‘As an innovative machinery ring, MR Mittelholstein has been supporting farms since 1988 with a wide range of services, from hoof care to domestic support and insurance. Due to the high demand for on-farm agrivoltaic systems from farmers, the machinery ring is predestined as a trustworthy partner to also provide all information and consulting services relating to agrivoltaic systems,’ says Uwe Reimers, Managing Director of Maschinenring Mittelholstein. ‘We have known SUNfarming as a pioneer in the field of agrivoltaics for many years and are convinced of their one-stop solution from Schleswig-Holstein. That's why we decided in favour of this exclusive partnership.’

‘We are looking forward to working with Maschinenring Mittelholstein. Mr Reimers and his team in the office offer a professional range of advice for agricultural businesses and can thus specifically address all questions relating to the agricultural business concept and the dual use of land with agriculture and renewable energies,’ says Edith Seemann, Managing Director of SUNfarming Projekt GmbH.

Maschinenring Mittelholstein is fully committed to helping farmers, their families, private households and businesses. The most important objective is to improve the quality of life and economic viability of people living in rural areas. In order to achieve this goal, Maschinenring Mittelholstein offers its members and customers as well as all interested parties numerous active services in the areas of relief & support, advice & expertise, machinery & technology, animals & plants as well as trade & brokerage.

If you are interested, please contact info(at)mr-mittelholstein.de directly for information on dates for the information events as well as for individual consultation appointments relating to SUNfarming Agri-Photovoltaics.

On 26 November 2024, an exciting event on the topic of ‘Agriculture with a future’ took place in Güstrow. As part of this event, organised by Bürgschaftsbank Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Edith Seemann, Managing Director of Project Development at SUNfarming, spoke to 40 experienced bank advisors about innovative agri-photovoltaic concepts. She was accompanied by Uwe Brandt, Sales Manager for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Sustainable agriculture with Agri-PV

The presentation focussed on the dual use of agricultural land through agrivoltaics (agri-PV). Edith Seemann gave a practical demonstration of how the use of agrivoltaic solutions can sustainably increase yield security in fruit and vegetable cultivation as well as in animal husbandry. She emphasised the following advantages in particular:

- Preservation of agricultural status: Agri-PV preserves the agricultural use of the land, which is essential for many farmers.
- Yield increase and protection: The systems protect against extreme weather conditions such as hail or heavy rainfall, thus ensuring stable crop yields.
- Climate-friendly energy generation: The combined use of agriculture and solar energy contributes to the energy transition and offers an additional source of income.

Dialogue with bank advisors

The presentation provided bank advisors with a valuable basis for supporting farmers in investing in sustainable projects such as agri-PV in the future. ‘The integration of agri-PV into existing farms opens up new perspectives,’ emphasised Edith Seemann. ‘It is an opportunity to combine economic stability and environmental protection.’

Uwe Brandt added that there is great potential for agri-PV in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in particular, with its extensive agricultural land. He presented concrete examples and models of how this could be realised.

Prospects and outlook

The event in Güstrow made it clear that innovative approaches such as agri-PV not only pave the way for sustainable agriculture, but also make an important contribution to the energy transition. The lively discussion and positive feedback from participants emphasised the growing interest in these solutions.

SUNfarming looks forward to continuing to support farmers, investors and consultants with sustainable concepts and working together on resilient, environmentally friendly agriculture.

After an intensive set-up phase, we presented an eye-catching 1:1 Agri-PV installation and an inviting exhibition stand to over 5,200 trade visitors. In around 100 discussions, we were able to convince more than 30 interested farmers, who are active in various cultivation areas such as pasture farming, chickens, soft fruit, pome fruit and also special crops, of the SUNfarming-Agri-Solar concepts. This will now be followed by profitability calculations and qualified offers.

There was enormous interest in our agrivoltaic (agri-PV) concepts, with discussions with trade visitors focussing in particular on the topic of ‘privileged systems’.

Our Agri-PV solutions, which combine sustainable energy production and efficient agriculture, met with great interest. Numerous visitors took the opportunity to find out about the latest innovations and SUNfarming's extensive experience in the field of agri-solar. The great commitment and curiosity of the visitors confirm our mission to positively shape the future of agriculture through sustainable energy solutions.

EuroTier: innovation driver for the agriculture of the future
As the leading trade fair for professional animal husbandry and livestock management, EuroTier offers a comprehensive platform that presents the latest technologies and solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. Our goal at SUNfarming is to make our contribution to a more sustainable agriculture and energy industry. We will show how our Agri-PV concepts open up new perspectives, especially for fruit, vegetable and speciality crop cultivation.

Come and visit us!
The trade fair runs until 15 November - visit us in Hall 25, Stand L13 and find out how we can shape the agriculture of the future together. Let's talk about sustainable solutions and strengthen the connection between food and energy.

We look forward to your visit!