Heuchlingen

Reference system agrivoltaics in fruit growing - table cherries at the Heuchlingen fruit farm in Baden-Württemberg

Fruit farm of Heuchlingen - Bad Friedrichshall - Reference project Agri photovoltaics in fruit growing - stone fruit - table cherries


Planning, project management and construction of an agrivoltaic system at the Heuchlingen fruit farm.


  • East-west orientation of the substructure - modules, installation type 1x vertical
  • Generator output approx. 225 kWp


Technical details:


  • Clearance height 4.10 m, total height of the system approx. 4.88 m
  • Reduced spacing in the ridge and eaves area (bird protection, rainproof), ridge slightly overlapped (module over module) - no heat build-up
  • Fly protection in the gable area
  • 80 m length of the rows incl. headlands (bifacial modules) with even distribution of the different module transparencies
  • 3 different module types with 8 % (455 W), 50 % (250 W) and 77 % transparency (130 W), monocrystalline solar cells with high efficiency
  • Total installed modules 1,064 units
  • Rainproof vertical joints
  • Proof of stability through geotechnical expertise
  • Concrete free fixation through rammed profiles
  • Fly protection nets to cover the entire substructure if required

Thomas Franke and Martin Hibsch were responsible for sales support, planning and project planning, project support and monitoring through to commissioning with documentation.

Table cherries under PV modules


  • Cherries in cultivation: major challenge due to late frosts, moisture, hail, pests and diseases
  • Cultivation under PV modules can reduce damage caused by frost during the flowering period (sweet cherries flower relatively early)
  • Rainproofness is one of the most important features of the system: less burst fruit, higher proportion of marketable fruit, less effort required to sort out the fruit during harvesting, more effective harvesting, lower costs
  • PV modules in a roof arrangement protect against damp weather and hail: reduction of fungal diseases (shot blight, monilia fruit rot)
  • In the future, it will be necessary to completely "enclose" the PV system with nets and grids: The cherry vinegar fly and cherry fruit fly can lead to considerable quality defects and total losses
  • Influence on the microclimate (temperature curve, temperature peaks, air humidity, frost protection effect)
  • Options for reducing the use of pesticides
  • Availability of nutrients under permanent roofing, taking into account reduced rainfall
  • Monetary added value of energy generation
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