Acceptance for the second half of the energy transition through electricity self-sufficient village using agrivoltaics?

Abstract

With the Green Deal, the energy transition in the EU has gained momentum. Almost half of electricity consumption is now covered by renewable energies, in which solar energy plays a significant role. However, the massive expansion of photovoltaics is becoming increasingly noticeable and is being felt by every individual locally. Neither the current high electricity price level nor the changing landscape provides any motivation to further advance the energy transition. These two trends raise the question of how acceptance for the second half of the expansion can be maintained and achieved. In this context, a decentralized energy system is being modeled to create an electricity self-sufficient village using agrivoltaics. This has the advantage that the land can be used for dual purposes. The shared use of energy between citizens, commercials, municipalities, and farmers creates a self-managed energy community. Farmers play a key role in this dual land use. This paper examines the central research question of what contribution an electricity-self-sufficient village using agrivoltaics can make to social acceptance. This paper is based on a survey of 215 German farmers. This survey results show a trend that local social acceptance can be increased through civic engagement. Various policy implications can be formulated for the realization of an electricity self-sufficient village using agrivoltaics. The first step is to achieve electricity self-sufficiency during the sunny months from March to October, until cross-seasonal storage media are available and ready for series production.