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Mobile Agrivoltaic Systems for California Agriculture: A Techno-Economic Analysis of Excess Power Utilization
Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org
Citation: 2026 ASABE Annual International Meeting 2600207.(doi:10.13031/aim.202600207)Authors: Amir Kouravand, Mohammadmehdi Maharlooei, Reza Ehsani
Keywords: Agrivoltaics, Cost of energy, Electric vehicle charging, Energy modeling, Excess energy, Sustainable agriculture.
Abstract Agrivoltaics (AgPV), the co-location of photovoltaic solar panels with agricultural production, offers a promising strategy to simultaneously address food security, water stress, and renewable energy generation. Existing fixed agrivoltaic installations, however, are constrained by high structural costs, inflexibility across crop types and terrain, and significant permitting requirements. This paper presents the design and energy analysis of a novel Mobile Agrivoltaic (MAV) platform engineered to overcome these limitations. Annual PV production is estimated at 64,472 kWh, with a primary load of 1,560 kWh/yr, yielding 63,290 kWh of annual excess energy. Two revenue-generating pathways for this surplus are evaluated: (1) on-farm EV and electric tractor charging stations and (2) grid energy sales. A single MAV unit achieves a Cost of Energy (COE) of $0.185/kWh and an 80% renewable energy fraction (RF) with zero unmet load, capable of serving 6 -7 EV charging sessions per day. A three-unit integrated deployment maintains nearly identical COE and RF while significantly amplifying system capacity, delivering higher power output and supporting Level-3 fast charging, serving over 18 EV sessions on peak summer days. Together, these results confirm the strong technical and economic viability of the MAV platform for California farm operators.
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