Design and techno-economic analysis of agrivoltaic system in the context of Bangladesh

Abstract

Agrivoltaic systems provide a viable approach to addressing land-use competition between agriculture and solar energy, particularly in Bangladesh. This thesis aims to design and evaluate an agrivoltaic system for a representative site in Bangladesh by integrating technical performance analysis with economic feasibility, while limiting crop yield reduction to a maximum of 25%. A techno-economic assessment is conducted using solar irradiation analysis, geometric shadow modeling, and three-dimensional (3D) shading simulations. The impacts of key design parameters, including panel tilt, mounting height, inter-row spacing, and inter-panel gap, are systematically evaluated. A fixed-tilt photovoltaic system with tilt equal to the site latitude is analyzed and compared with a flat installation, considering seasonal weather conditions. Geometric shadow calculations are validated against 3D SketchUp simulations. Results indicate that the latitude-tilted configuration captures approximately 11% higher annual solar energy than a flat system. Shadow length exhibits a U-shaped seasonal trend, with maximum shading during the winter months (October–February) and increased variation at higher panel elevations. The geometric and 3D shading models show close agreement, with deviations within 10%. Increasing inter-row spacing reduces ground coverage ratio and energy yield while improving crop yield, whereas overall land equivalent ratio remains nearly unchanged for two-crop systems. Simulation outcomes show that the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) spans from 1.14 to 1.27 across all configurations. Of the 18 design options analyzed, 14 achieve LER values between 1.20 and 1.27, which can be considered the optimal range, reflecting consistently high land-use efficiency for most of the proposed agrivoltaic layouts. Economic analysis reveals that energy revenue contributes over 90% of total profit. An optimal design is recommended with a ground coverage ratio close to 0.30 and inter-row spacing of 100–300 cm to maintain profit loss within 25%.