Comprehensive potential assessment of agrophotovoltaic systems: A case study of Hebei Province

Ruijing Wang, Jirui Gong, Siqi Zhang, Weiyuan Zhang, Xuede Dong, Yuxia Hu, Guisen Yang, Chenyi Yan, Shangpeng Zhang and Tong Wang

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 240, issue C

Abstract: The rapid development of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy arrays has inevitably created competition for land. Agrophotovoltaic (APV) systems, the combination of crops with PV power generation, are a possible solution, so a comprehensive evaluation of their potential is essential. To perform that evaluation, we combined a Geographic Information System (GIS) with Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), and an ecological benefit assessment framework based on the gross ecosystem product (GEP) to systematically assess the development potential of APV systems. To prove the feasibility, we used China's Hebei Province as a case study. We found that 75,537 km2 (40.0 %) of the province's land is suitable for the construction of an APV power plant, with a potential power generation of 9797.22 TWh and a CO2 mitigation potential of 5.78 Gt. In 2023, the Pingxiang APV power plant in Hebei Province produced 2.3474 × 106 CNY in ecological benefits, which comprised 31 % of the total benefit. The APV region offers nearly 20 times the ecological benefit provided by the non-planted PV region. Among the ecological products, agricultural crop production (ACP) offered the largest ecological benefit, and wax gourd is the best species. In Hebei Province, the monetarized ecological potential ranged from 54.9 to 137.8 billion CNY. Our results confirm the high development potential of APV, especially in terms of its ability to provide ecological protection and restoration. Our results also provide a new perspective for assessing the potential of PV systems that include an ecology component and can promote the transition to renewable energy and sustainable development.

Keywords: Agrophotovoltaic; Suitable area; Potential assessment; Ecological benefit; Gross ecosystem product (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:240:y:2025:i:c:s0960148124022468

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.122178

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