Ground-Mounted Photovoltaic and Crop Cultivation: A Comparative Analysis

Sandro Sacchelli, Valerii Havrysh, Antonina Kalinichenko and Dariusz Suszanowicz
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Sandro Sacchelli: Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence-18, P.le delle Cascine, I-50144 Florence, Italy
Valerii Havrysh: Department of Tractors and Agricultural Machines, Operating and Maintenance, Mykolayiv National Agrarian University, 54020 Mykolaiv, Ukraine
Antonina Kalinichenko: Institute of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Opole, 45-040 Opole, Poland
Dariusz Suszanowicz: Institute of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Opole, 45-040 Opole, Poland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-20

Abstract: Human civilization depends on energy sources, mainly fossil fuels. An increase in the prices of fossil fuels and their exhaustibility limit economic growth. Carbon dioxide emission causes global environmental problems. Global crises (including COVID-19) have sharpened food and energy supply problems. The decentralized energy supply systems as well as the expedition of the application of renewable energy may solve these challenges. The economic shift to renewable power generation intensifies the competition between food crop production and green energy for land. This paper applied an open-source spatial-based model to quantify the solar power generation (the ground-mounted photovoltaic panels) for the southern regions of Poland (the Opole region) and Ukraine (the Mykolaiv region). The model used technical, economic, and legal constraints. This study compared economic indicators of the solar power generation and the crop production projects for rain-fed land. The net present value (NPV) and the profitability index (PI) were used for the economic evaluation. Additionally, the coefficients of variation were determined to assess investment risks. The use of r.green.solar model to find the spatial distribution of the reduction of carbon dioxide emission was the novelty of this study. The analysis revealed that the PV projects have higher NPV, but lower PI compared to the crop production. The PV projects have lower coefficients of variation. This fact testifies that these projects are less risky.

Keywords: agriculture; photovoltaic; net present value; profitability index; coefficient of variation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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