Globally, and if available and affordable, consumers prefer locally and sustainable sourced fruits. AgroPVs are a steppingstone to achieve self-sufficiency both in food and energy security. Since Cyprus possesses the highest solar potential per area than any other European country our strategic objective is to make renewable solar energy easily accessible to farmers, without compromising their land use. FarmPV is a timely project for Cyprus. It addresses local food production and energy supply.

The following scientific and technical objectives (STOs) are aspired:

STO1 Innovative Fruit Production System (IFPS): Through PV and agricultural landscape fusion: Incorporate solar energy production into an agro-ecological food production system. AgroPV will be co-exploited to both micro-adapt the climate of the canopy by utilizing the excess light and to protect the crop against weather extremes. Monitor plant's growth using smart farming technologies and precisely optimize irrigation, fertilisation, shading ,temperature needs and pest control to create superior fruit quality with minimal environmental impact. There are two major challenges related to agroPV that will be addressed in this project. The first one being the light conditions (intensity, spectrum, uniformity) and the second being costs. FarmPV addresses these two issues by using low cost mounting designs and by using pearl shading and infesting insect-proof. Hence, light transparency and scattering are rediffused to the canopy indirectly, reforming a more homogeneous environment. White ground cover will also contribute to recover the dispersed light and to control the weeds. The theoretical reduction in energy production, compared to a pure PV system made for optimal power generation will be studied, considering the added benefits of RCF production. This MVP (minimum viable product) will be demonstrated in a pilot farm (WP5)

STO2 - PV system design: The goal is bridging technological advancement with agricultural productivity, specifically aiming at the optimal integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in stone fruit and berry cultivation. A central challenge identified by the Consortium is intricately tied to balancing energy production, stone fruit and berry growth, and financial viability within an agrivoltaic system. The proposed solution unveils a multi-faceted approach, covering technological efficiency, microclimate management, and economic viability. In the domain of technology optimization, the focus will be on evaluating the deployment of both transparent and traditional PV technologies. The objective is to ascertain their efficacy in energy generation and their impact on agricultural practices. We aim for good balance between energy production and agricultural yield.

STO3 - autonomous monitoring and operations of the PV system: FarmPV focuses on advancing fruit production through innovative farming methods and the sustainable and economical usage of PVs that produce energy and are also of the structure and design of the protected environment providing shading and climate control under the limit required to maximize photosynthetic activity, fruit productivity, pest control and quality of stone fruits and berries without alternate bearing in this perennial cropping system. As such the PV system needs to be as autonomous, worry free, high performance (maximizing power production) and as user friendly as possible (easy to use interface).

STO4 - Energy management system (EMS): The goal is to put all the software (PV monitoring, precision irrigation/cleaning of panels under one umbrella for easy and efficient operation by the end user (farmer in this case).

STO5 - monitoring the quality and yield of the fruit: CUT will evaluate fruit quality and yield efficiency of the different production systems: (1) AgroPV and pearl shading net, (2) pearl shading net and (3) without any shading or protection. Specifically, measurement of fruit quality in terms of firmness, sugar/acids ratio, fruit size and yield interval will be carried out.

STO6 - Exploitation of results and engagement with stakeholders: Broad dissemination and effective exploitation of the knowledge, technologies and outcomes is addressed by the project to maximize impact. FarmPV encompasses academic and industrial sectors, aiming to magnify the influence of project advancements. The project is aiming to publish findings in reputable scientific journals and conferences and collaborate with academic institutions and industry (food, energy) in order to transform fruit production in Cyprus. In addition, collaborations and synergies with other national and EU projects and initiatives will be identified during the project. The project aims to identify pathways for technology transfer and commercialization of developed technologies such as innovative green-house design with integrated PV, autonomous AI driven PV systems and predictive maintenance geared for the farming industry through licensing agreements, partnerships and joint ventures with technology companies and industry players.