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Agrivoltaic assessment tool for farmers
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Could agrivoltaics work on my property?
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Do you have an interest in knowing if your property is suitable for solar?
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Agrivoltaics is the integration of solar and agricultural activities. It offers potential benefits for livestock and could increase your EBIT/ha.
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To maximise your return on investment there are a number of factors that make solar integration easier and more feasible. This tool asks a few questions that can be used to assess if you should take the next step into investigating agrivoltaics for your property.
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How to use this tool: Select or type your answer to each question. It will give you an indication of how that effects your agrivoltaic suitability. At the end, the tool collates your answers and makes a suggestion for next steps.
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About your farm
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Q. 1What district is your farm located in?1522
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Q. 2What is your farming system?Sheep onlySheep being used in an agrivoltaic system can create synergies by providing shelter, and they are the least risk of damaging panels
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Now think of an area that would be suitable on your property.
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Q. 3How many hectares is the proposed agrivoltaic area? (Please type your area in ha, do not include units, e.g. type 7 not 7ha)78Good Scale
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Larger areas increases your scale of economies
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Q. 4Select what best describes the slope of your intended site< 10 degreesOkay
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A gentle slope might influence the construction costs, but with the right design will be achievable
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Q. 5How far is your selected site from the distribution line?< 0.5 kmGood
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A greater distance from the distribution line increases the set-up cost
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Q. 6Is your proposed site in view of roads or dwellings?NoGood
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The least risk of visual impacts
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Q. 7Can the proposed agrivoltaic area be taken out of your pasture renewal plan with minimal impact?YesBeing able to simplify pasture renewal and cropping rotation under agrivoltaics reduces the risk of damage due to tractor operations
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Q. 8Are you aware of any solar projects happening on your power distribution line?Yes - smaller than 500 kWOkay
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Potentially some restrictions with inputting power onto the grid
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What are the next steps?
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Based on the information you have provided above, the following suggestion is made:
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Disclaimer: While all necessary care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this solar tool's contents, interested parties cannot hold the authors responsible for any damage or loss resulting from reliance on these projections. Contents are intended as a guide only and full discussion should be conducted with stakeholders’ relevant professionals.
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This work was funded by the New Zealand Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment’s Our Land and Water (Toitū te Whenua, Toiora te Wai) National Science Challenge, contract C10X1901,  as part of the Rural Professionals Fund 2022-23 Fund.
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