Technical Tours

The AgriVoltaics World Conference 2025 will feature three distinct technical tours on the day before the conference Monday, June 30, 2025. Participants can choose from the following tours:

• Technical Tour 1 -  The "Scientific Tour”
  13:00 - 18:00

• Technical Tour 2 - The “Fruity Tour” 
  11:30 - 18:30

• Technical Tour 3 - The “Vertical Tour” 
  13:00 - 18:00

All buses will depart from the conference venue (Messe Freiburg) at the scheduled times. Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to departure to ensure timely boarding. If you are late for the technical tour, your seat will be forfeited. Participation in the technical tours is only available to those who have purchased the technical tour during registration.

Technical Tour 1 - The "Scientific Tour"

13:00 - 18:00

This tour will visit two stations:

1. Outdoor Performance Lab – Solar testfield, Merdingen

In Merdingen, 15 km west of Freiburg, one of the largest test fields for solar energy systems in Europe is being built. On an area of three hectares, Fraunhofer ISE will test the performance and reliability of PV components and systems under real-life conditions. The Agrivoltaics Group has installed different demonstration systems to analyze and compare electricity and crop yields and study the effect of different PV module types. Further systems are in planning.

Further research topics at the Outdoor performance test site:

• characterization of concentrating PV modules (CPV)
• measurements on inverters and PV battery systems
• qualification of tracked PV systems
• measurements on integrated PV installations, e.g., on noise barriers

• Systems: vertical PV system, overhead system with semi-transparent PV modules
• Crop: arable crops, e.g. winter wheat and winter barley, soybeans, fava beans

2. Staatliches Weinbauinstitut (WBI) Freiburg – Blankenhornsberg-Ihringen

This facility consisting of three different sun-tracking systems was built in 2023 in Ihringen on top of the Blankenhornsberg, near Freiburg. The PV systems installed directly above the vines are designed to protect the vines, delay grape ripening and generally provide a more consistent climate to prevent crop losses. The different sizes and positions of the PV modules, which provide different levels of shade, affect the growth of the vines. The tracking control system developed by Intech GmbH & Co. KG, will be adapted to the needs of the vines in collaboration with the WBI over the entire duration of the project.

• Area: 1400 m²
• Systems: overhead system with semi-transparent PV modules and single-axis tracking system with monofacial PV modules
• Crop: vine (conventional cultivation)
• Installed capacity: 240 kW_p

Technical Tour 2 - The "Fruity Tour"

11:30 - 18:30

This tour will visit two stations:

1. Fruit farm “Vollmer” – Oberkirch-Nußbach

The facility was built in 2022 at the farm of family Vollmer in a well-known German fruit-growing region “Ortenau”. The site is part of the "Model Region Agrivoltaics Baden-Württemberg" project and consists of three PV systems where five different fruit varieties are grown, analyzed, and marketed. The agronomic analyses are carried out by researchers at LTZ Augustenberg. Furthermore, the sun tracking system is being further developed to meet the requirements of fruit growing, based on the shading calculations of the Fraunhofer ISE and in cooperation with the LTZ Augustenberg. The Vollmers hope that agrivoltaics will help them to continue their fruit growing business, not only by improving the quality and yield of their fruit, but also by providing economic security by marketing the generated electricity.

• Area: 15,000 m²
• Systems: overhead system with monofacial PV modules, single-axis tracking system with monofacial PV modules and overhead system with semitransparent PV modules
• Crops: apple, pear, plum, kiwi berry and blackberry (conventional cultivation)
• Installed capacity: 840 kW_p

2. Landwirtschaftliches Technologiezentrum (LTZ) Augustenberg – Karlsruhe

The research facility is part of the "Model Region Agrivoltaics Baden-Württemberg" project and was built in 2024 at the LTZ Augustenberg, a research center focusing on many aspects of crop cultivation, and protection. Six scab-resistant apple varieties and two pear varieties are grown organically under two different PV systems fully netted against flying insects. Researchers at LTZ Augustenberg are focusing on the health and growth of the trees under the PV modules, as well as fruit set and fruit quality (color, size, nutritional value). In addition, the combination of PV modules and netting will be evaluated for its effect on the incidence of pests and diseases.

• Area: 10,000 m²
• Systems: overhead system with semi-transparent PV modules, single-axis tracking system with bifacial PV modules
• Crops: apple and pear (organic cultivation)
• Installed capacity: 490 kW_p

Technical Tour 3 - The "Vertical Tour"

13:00 - 18:00

This tour will visit two stations:

1. Agrivoltaic park in Donaueschingen-Aasen – Next2Sun

In the Donaueschingen district of Aasen, the largest vertical, bifacial agrivoltaic system in Europe was established in July 2020. On a module field area of around 12 hectares, approximately 11,000 bifacial solar modules were installed on a total of 5,800 support elements. The agricultural follow-up use is carried out by the previous operator. The 10-meter-wide inter-row spaces continue to be used for the production of hay and silage. In addition, three more rows of modules are used for agricultural cultivation trials. The agrivoltaic system supplies 1,400 households with renewable electricity. The operator is Bürgersolarkraftwerke Donaueschingen-Aasen GmbH.

• Area: 120,000 m²
• Systems: Vertical East-West orientation, cell technologyN-Pert (100%), feed-in to the grid according to EEG
• Crops: Hay, silage, feed peas
• Installed capacity: 4.1 MWp, annual energy yield4,850 MWh/year

2. Agrivoltaic park in Löffingen – Next2Sun

The agrivoltaic Park Löffingen was developed by Next2Sun in collaboration with the Löffingen organic farmer Wolfram Wiggert on an area of nearly 11 hectares (commissioned in 2024). The facility has a nominal capacity of 4.3 megawatts, and the annual electricity generated is sufficient for about 1,400 households. A large part of the module rows consists of three modules stacked on top of each other, optimizing the yield with a row spacing of 13.5 meters. The facility is complemented by a 0.5 megawatt battery storage, which allows for a more demand-oriented provision of the generated electricity. The facility is operated by Agrivoltaics Löffingen GmbH.

• Area: ~110,000 m²
• Systems: Predominantly vertical East-West orientation with row spacing of 13.5 m,feed-in to the grid according to EEG with integrated battery storage
• Crops: Crop farming, grassland, grazing
• Installed capacity: 4.3 MWp, annual energy yield4,800 MWh/year