Hanwha Solutions Unveils 'Solar Smart Farm' with NongHyup

Hanwha Solutions has partnered with the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) to introduce a low-carbon smart farm model integrating agrivoltaics. The goal is to promote a future-oriented agricultural model that cultivates crops using self-generated renewable energy, contributing to carbon reduction and increased farm income.

Exterior view of Yangpyeong Nonghyup Smart Agriculture Support Center's solar-powered smart farm. Photo by Hanwha Solutions

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On the 22nd, Hanwha Solutions announced the unveiling of Korea's first smart farm that self-generates solar energy to supply electricity at the opening ceremony of the 'Yangpyeong NACF Smart Agriculture Support Center' held in Yangpyeong-eup, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province. The solar power generation capacity installed at the Yangpyeong Smart Agriculture Support Center is 64 kW, and all the generated electricity is used to operate the smart farm.

Hanwha Solutions and NACF built a complex production support center on a site of approximately 7,000 square meters, linking rice planting, seedling and vegetable cultivation facilities with the smart farm. Inside the center, smart farm equipment for managing crops has been installed, and solar power generation facilities are arranged on structures installed above the vinyl greenhouse to self-supply the electricity needed to operate heating and cooling systems and the IoT (Internet of Things) system.

The agrivoltaic modules applied to this solar-powered smart farm by Hanwha Solutions are manufactured at half the size of standard modules, making them most suitable for agricultural environments by not obstructing sunlight in the greenhouse and minimizing drip damage. Hanwha Solutions plans to continuously expand partnerships to promote the distribution of agrivoltaic models, including solar-powered smart farms.

Lee Jae-sik, Vice Chairman of NACF, stated, "We hope to practice carbon neutrality in agricultural fields and expand the use of renewable energy to create new growth engines in the agricultural sector." He added, "NACF will do its best to foster agriculture as a future growth industry through various demonstration projects utilizing digital technology."

Lee Gu-young, CEO of Hanwha Solutions, said, "We will focus on developing solar technology suitable for Korea's agricultural environment, lead business models that can simultaneously conduct farming and power generation such as solar-powered smart farms, and strive to contribute to responding to the climate change crisis."

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