In the current discussion about the transformation of the German energy system, the question arises how much renewable energy can be generated on limited agricultural land.
A study compares the energy yields of different types of biogenic renewable energy with the technical variants photovoltaic (PV), namely PV open space plants (PV-FFA) and Agri-PV, and wind turbines (WT). The use of energy for electricity, heat and mobility is considered.
The results show that PV and wind can generate significantly more energy on one hectare of agricultural land than biogenic renewables, even taking into account byproducts and electricity storage. For example, the electricity yield per hectare for PV-FFA is on average 28 times higher than for biogas. In the heat sector, PV-FFA and conversion to heat using heat pumps can produce as much as 65 times more heat than short-rotation woodchip production.
By using rapeseed for biodiesel, including co-products, one can drive an average of 57 thousand kilometers per year in a mid-size car. In contrast, with electricity from PV-FFA, the figure is 4.6 million kilometers per hectare per year. In terms of loss of agricultural land for food production, WTs are even more efficient than PV-FFA.
If the above biogenic renewables are replaced by PV-FFA or WTs in the future, the loss of agricultural land for food production could be significantly reduced. Efficient use of land therefore suggests policy management in favor of PV-FFA and especially WTs.
Accessibility
Language