Double food production: lettuce indoors and rapeseed under the panels

The Hova solar park in Gullspång municipality lies only a few tens of kilometres from Tibro, where Ljusgårda grows its crops. The park covers 13 hectares, the size of 19 football pitches, and is expected to produce up to 8 GWh a year – enough to supply 1,600 houses.

Farming and power production on the same land

The park is agrivoltaic: it combines conventional farming with solar power production. The panels sit on a single-axis tracker system that follows the sun and can be turned to allow continued farming. Under the panels, Ekoväx goes on growing rapeseed, ley and wheat, among other crops.

An agreement that makes a difference

Ljusgårda buys the power through a power purchase agreement with Energi Försäljning Sverige AB as balance responsible party. “Companies that demand additional energy make a real difference. Through this PPA we can together accelerate the green transition and increase the amount of renewable energy in the system. We are proud that, as a balance responsible party with insight and expertise in the energy market, we can guarantee smooth and efficient risk management and invoicing for both end consumers and producers,” says Tobias Jansson, Energy Risk Adviser at Energi Försäljning Sverige AB.

The project is followed by researchers from Mälardalen University’s agrivoltaics project and the Swedish solar research centre SOLVE at Uppsala University. The park was expected to be complete in August 2024, with the first harvest from the field planned for 2025.