AgRadiance Method
How the model works
Light, microclimate, soil water and crop growth are solved together, point by point across the pitch, on the project's own geometry, weather, soil and crop calendar.
- Published models
- Calibrated against experiments
- Tested on unseen sites
- How we validate
01
Light
The array is built in 3D from the layout: modules, posts and, for trackers, the rotation through the day. Light is ray-traced onto a grid across the pitch for every hour of the year.
71 %
of open-field light in the farming zone
annual, showcase study
- Under the modules
- 57 %
- Between the rows
- 74 %
02
Microclimate
An hourly energy balance of the canopy gives the conditions the crop actually grows in under the modules, between the rows and at the edges.
−3.4 °C
leaf temperature on the hottest days
farming zone against the open field, ten hottest days
- daily maximum air temperature
- −0.4 °C
- Open field
- 16
- Under the array
- 7
03
Soil water
Soil water is solved per grid point down to 2 m. Modules shed rain onto drip lines; shade cuts evaporation; the crop draws water by its own roots.
−50 %
irrigation in a dry year
330 instead of 665 m³/ha for the same yield
- water use, median year
- −14 %
- drainage below the roots
- 160 mm
04
Crop growth
Crop growth uses published, open-source process models, WOFOST, DSSAT and STICS among them: phenology, leaf area, biomass and yield respond to the light, temperature and water each point receives.
Every result is run over multiple weather years, with named dry, hot and wet years, and reported as P10–P90 ranges against the open field.
86 %
of open-field wheat yield
whole parcel, rainfed, median of twenty seasons
- Output
- Yield per zone and per crop against the open field
- Seasons
- Multiple weather years, named dry, hot and wet years
- Uncertainty
- P10–P90 ranges, not a single average
Twenty seasons, whole parcel
Dot: median (P50). Bar: P10–P90 across seasons and crop parameters. Line = open field.
Show the data
| P50 | P10 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat, Rainfed | 86 % | 77 % | 105 % |
| Wheat, Irrigated | 85 % | 79 % | 103 % |
| Spinach, Rainfed | 72 % | 69 % | 77 % |
| Spinach, Irrigated | 71 % | 70 % | 72 % |
| Pasture, Rainfed | 80 % | 77 % | 83 % |
| Pasture, Irrigated | 80 % | 78 % | 84 % |
Crop yield by zone
Rainfed, median year. Each crop against its own open field (line = 100 %).
- Wheat
- Spinach
- Pasture
Show the data
| Zone | Wheat | Spinach | Pasture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under the modules | 86 % | 63 % | 74 % |
| Between the rows | 100 % | 74 % | 86 % |
| Farming zone | 98 % | 73 % | 84 % |
05
Farmability
Machinery passage between the rows, clearance under the modules and headland turns are checked for the farm's own equipment. Turns are planned as U-, omega or reversing T-turns, so the headland depth in the layout is the one the machines need.
Calibrated, then tested against data it has not seen
- 01
Published models
Crop, soil-water and light models from the scientific literature, not a black box.
- 02
Staged calibration
Phenology first, then growth and yield, with a target error of nRMSE ≤ 0.20.
- 03
Leave-one-site-out validation
Whole sites are held out of calibration and predicted blind, so the test is honest.
- 04
Checked against field trials
Study results are set against published agrivoltaic field trials for the same crops.
Simulated yields against published field trials
Share of the open-field yield. Field trials: 17 yield observations from seven agrivoltaic trials. Showcase study: P10–P90 over twenty seasons, whole parcel, rainfed.
- Published field trials
- Showcase study
Show the data
| Published field trials | Showcase study | |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 54–103 % | 77–105 % |
| Spinach | 31–74 % | 69–77 % |
| Pasture | 69–128 % | 77–83 % |
What you receive
A technical report, branded and signed, or an unbranded Word document for a chapter or appendix of your own permit file.
- Yield per zone and per crop against the open field
- Water balance and irrigation demand
- Microclimate under the array
- PV yield and land equivalent ratio
- Machinery access and headland depth
- Figures and tables for permitting
Working on an agrivoltaic project?
Design, permitting, due diligence or bankability: tell us where the project stands. We reply within one business day.