Sint-Truiden (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Sint-Truiden’s Pcfruit tests solar panels above its raspberry plantation to power growers’ cold stores. Research with KU Leuven explores crop growth under panels and potential production impacts.
As VRT News reported, Sint-Truiden’s fruit-growing centre, Pcfruit, is trying a new way to grow fruit and produce energy at the same time. The centre is putting solar panels above raspberry plantations.
They mentioned that these panels are different from regular panels on rooftops. They have small solar cells with clear spaces between them. Sunlight can pass through these spaces and reach the plants. Raspberries are chosen because they need less light. The design makes sure the fruit can still grow well under the panels.
“Food is important, energy is important, so why not combine these two,”
says Flemish Minister of Agriculture Jo Brons (CD&V).
“The solar panels not only generate energy. They can also protect the soft fruit from heavy rainfall, hail, and sunburn.”
What are PCfruit and KU Leuven testing with solar panels above fruit?
The experiment is part of a larger project with KU Leuven and the Farmers Union. In Haspengouw, farmers usually cover fruit with plastic sheets to protect it from rain or sunburn. These covers cost money and are not always environmentally friendly. Provincial Executive Inge Moors (CD&V) says solar panels could replace the plastic covers. This would protect the fruit and produce clean energy at the same time.
“Farmland is also becoming increasingly scarce,”
says Brouns.
“We don’t intend to use this land for solar panels. By placing solar panels above crops as a cover, you’re doubling up on the same land. I believe this is the future for sustainable food production.”
“The covers have an impact on the rural character of the region. Agrivoltaics, in my opinion, have a somewhat lesser impact.”
Provincial Executive Inge Moors said soft fruit is grown on about 70 hectares in Flanders, 45 of which are in Limburg.
“This makes Limburg an ideal region for this study,”
she said.
“The solar panels protect the crops from heavy rainfall,” Dany Bylemans says. “Because less rain can reach the plants, it also reduces the risk of fungi that thrive in humid conditions.”
Using solar panels on other fruit, like pears, is not yet possible. Tests show that current panels could reduce pear production by 20%. Dany Bylemans of Pcfruit said the panels help protect fruit but block some sunlight. Only shade-tolerant plants can currently grow under the panels. Experts say new technologies may allow more crops to use solar panels in the future.
“We’re already working with a company that’s developing solar panels made of a kind of foil, allowing a lot of sunlight to pass through,”
says Bylemans.
“We hope to install such a system above a pear orchard by the beginning of next season. By testing different types of solar panels, we can determine which one is most suitable for the Belgian situation.”
The idea of growing fruit under solar panels started in Belgium in October 2020. KU Leuven placed semi-transparent solar panels above a pear orchard in Bierbeek to test if crops and solar energy could share the same land. A research program on agrivoltaics ran from October 2019 to September 2021 to explore how farms across Flanders could use solar panels. A new project began on 1 December 2023 and will continue until 30 November 2027. This phase focuses on fruit farms, including raspberry plantations.
Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.
