MAE Colloquium: Pietro Elia Campana (Mälardalen)

Description

Exploring Dual Land Use for Agriculture and Solar Power Production: Are Agrivoltaic Systems Viable in Sweden?

In this presentation, he will explore the concept of agrivoltaic systems and discuss their potential for success even at high latitudes, such as in Sweden. We will showcase Sweden's first agrivoltaic system and its inaugural agrivoltaic facilities, highlighting key research activities aimed at advancing agrivoltaic technologies. Special attention will be given to integrated modeling and optimization approaches, which are essential for maximizing the efficiency and sustainability of agrivoltaic systems while adhering to the current regulatory framework. The presentation will conclude with an overview of promising future research directions.
 

Bio: Pietro Elia Campana is an associate professor at Mälardalen University in Västerås, Sweden. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental engineering from the University of Perugia, Italy, in 2009 and 2011, respectively. He completed his Ph.D. in energy and environmental engineering at Mälardalen University in 2015, with a thesis focused on optimizing solar irrigation systems for halting grassland desertification in China. From 2015 to 2019, Campana served as a research assistant professor at Mälardalen University, while also working as a researcher at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, he established the first agrivoltaic system in Sweden, with funding from the Swedish Energy Agency. Since 2023, this system has been upgraded to become Sweden's first agrivoltaic systems facility, designed to compare various agrivoltaic technologies in parallel. He serves as associate editor in the journal Applied Energy.