Open-Source Vertical Swinging Wood-Based Solar Photovoltaic Racking Systems

Project data
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Vertical bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) racking systems offer the opportunity for large-scale agrivoltaics to be employed at farms producing field crops with conventional farming equipment. Unfortunately, commercial proprietary vertical racks cost more than all types of conventional PV farm racking solutions. To overcome these cost barriers, this study reports on the development of a new wood-based PV racking design. The open-source design consists of a hinge mechanism, which reduces mechanical loading and enables wood to be used as the main structural material, and is the first of its kind. This open-source vertical wood-based PV rack is (i) constructed from locally accessible (domestic) renewable and sustainable materials, (ii) able to be made with hand tools by the average farmer on site, (iii) possesses a 25-year lifetime to match PV warranties, and (iv) is structurally sound, following Canadian building codes to weather high wind speeds and heavy snow loads. The results showed that the capital cost of the racking system is less expensive than the commercial equivalent and all of the previous wood-based rack designs, at a single unit retail cost of CAD 0.21. The racking LCOE is 77% of the cost of an equivalent commercial racking system using retail small-scale component costs, and is 22%, 34%, and 38% less expensive than commercial metal vertical racking, wood fixed tilt racking, and wood seasonal tilt racking costs, respectively. Overall, wooden vertical swinging PV racking provides users with a low-cost, highly available alternative to conventional metal vertical racking, along with a potential increase in energy yield in high wind areas thanks to its unique swinging mechanism.

Keywords

Sustainable development; Open-source; Photovoltaic; racking; solar energy; biomaterials; wood; photovoltaic; mechanical design; balance of systems; renewable energy; open source; do-it-yourself; agrivoltaics

See also

Open Source Photovoltaic Racking Approaches


The Western Innovation for Renewable Energy (WIRED) system is currently under construction to test out new open source methods to reduce PV systems costs and enable novel forms of agrivoltaics including the world's first agrivoltaic agrotunnel.

Services provided by agrivoltaics are: renewable electricity generation, decreased green-house gas emissions, reduced climate change, increased crop yield, plant protection from excess solar energy, plant protection from inclement weather such as hail, water conservation, agricultural employment, local food, improved health from pollution reduction increased revenue for farmers, a hedge against inflation, the potential to produce nitrogen fertilizer on farm, on farm production of renewable fuels such as anhydrous ammonia or hydrogen, and electricity for EV charging for on- or off-farm use.
Agrivoltaics Canada - What is Agrivoltaics

In the News

From: Financial Analysis of Agrivoltaic Sheep: Breeding and Auction Lamb Business Models

  1. Raising sheep for grazing under solar panels makes everyone clean, green money - Western News
  2. Sheep Grazing Under Solar Panels Yields Green Profits Mirage News
  3. Agrivoltaics paired with sheep production makes nearly 100% of land grazable TechXplore
  4. Agrivoltaics paired with sheep production makes nearly 100% of land grazable MSN
  5. Grazing ’solar’ sheep offer lucrative solution for farmers My Science
  6. Global Renwable News
  7. Rinnovabili
  8. Education News Canada
  9. How agrivoltaics and “solar” sheep are redefining profitable farming in Canada PV Buzz
  10. Nature’s best lawnmower: How solar grazing is changing the photovoltaic landscape Euronews
    1. Yahoo NewZealand
    2. Bundle
    3. Photos: Sheep grazing boosts solar farms and soil health in the US and Europe Interesting Engineering
  11. O melhor cortador de relva da natureza: como o pastoreio solar está a mudar a paisagem fotovoltaica EuroNews
  12. La meilleure tondeuse à gazon de la nature : comment le pâturage solaire change le paysage photovoltaïque - Observatoiredeleurope
  13. Solar sheep grazing under agrivoltaic arrays can maximise land use News9
  14. El mejor cortacésped natural: ¿Cómo el pastoreo solar está cambiando el panorama fotovoltaico? Yahoo Spain
  15. ‘Solar shepherds’ earn big by grazing sheep on solar farms — and they benefit everyone involved Modern Science
  16. Sheep farmers are crazy about solar power plants: “Salaries are higher than lawyers” Central asia Climate Portal
  17. Researchers make unexpected discovery about sheep raised in nontraditional environment: 'There is an enormous opportunity' The Cool Down
    1. MSN
  18. ‘Solar shepherds’ earn big by grazing sheep on solar farms — and they benefit everyone involved The Conversation
    1. Yahoo News
    2. Down to Earth
    3. Renew Economy
    4. Inkl
    5. The National Tribune (Australia)
    6. Winnipeg Free Press
    7. Morning Ag Clips
    8. The 14
    9. ATTRA NCAT
    10. OSU
  19. Får och solparker - en vinst för både lantbruk, får och klimat Energinyheter (se)
  20. Researchers make unexpected discovery about sheep raised in nontraditional environment: 'There is an enormous opportunity' Yahoo
  21. Une étude révèle un duo gagnant : moutons et panneaux solaires, “un potentiel immense” Le Energeek
  22. ‘Farming Sunshine’ Brings Food, Power Producers Together for Local Baaa-nefit The Energy Mix
  23. Bùng nổ ngành nông nghiệp quang điện Saigon Online
  24. Solar sheep make better wool? The Carbon Almanac
  25. How to use sheep to manage vegetation at solar farms, boost agriculture Farm Progress
  26. Tarımsal Voltaik Sistemler ve Koyunlar Tarim Gundem (Turkish)
  27. Les « moutons solaires », un mariage lucratif entre agriculture et énergie propre Radio Canada
  28. reddit

Agrivoltaics in Canada

  1. Solar Sheep, Alberta (https://www.solarsheep.ca/)
  2. Sun Cycle Farms, Alberta (https://suncyclefarms.com/)
  3. Golden Leaf Agrivoltaics, Ontario (https://goldenleafagrivoltaics.ca/)
  4. The Lara Cost Farm, Ontario (https://thelaracosta.com/)
  5. Arnprior Solar, Ontario (https://www.edf-re.com/project/arnprior-solar/)
  6. Lewis Land & Stock, Ontario (https://solargrazing.org/asga-call-29-don-lewis-from-lewis-land-stock-of-ontario-canada/)
  7. Nanticoke Solar, Ontario (https://www.opg.com/stories/hundreds-of-grazing-sheep-helping-to-keep-opgs-nanticoke-solar-facility-in-trim-shape/)
  8. Western University’s Western Innovation for Renewable Energy Deployment (WIRED) (https://www.appropedia.org/Western_Innovation_for_Renewable_Energy_Deployment_(WIRED))
  9. Orchard, Middlesex, Ontario
  10. Solar Grazing Map https://solargrazing.org/map/
Page data
Authors Nicholas.Vandewetering, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Joshua M. Pearce
License CC-BY-SA-4.0
Organizations FAST, Western University
Cite as Nicholas.Vandewetering, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Joshua M. Pearce (2023–2025). "Open-Source Vertical Swinging Wood-Based Solar Photovoltaic Racking Systems". Appropedia. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
This article is issued from Appropedia. The text is available under CC-BY-SA-4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.