The Emergence of Agrivoltaics (eBook)

This book assists in the adoption of the sustainable cross-sectoral nexus approach of agrivoltaics, which can provide a quite significant untapped potential for the sustainable development of humanity. Increasing demand for water, energy and food, due to population growth and urbanization, is aggravated by unprecedented extreme weather and climatic conditions. This situation is likely to undermine the sustainable and peaceful development of humanity. Today, more than ever, there is an imperative need to support the identification and development of practical solutions, where the use of a nexus approach can lead to improved outcomes in the integrated management of water-energy-food-ecosystem (WEFE) resources.

 

This book disseminates the current knowledge of the modern approach of agrivoltaics, providing a comprehensive state of the art on the field, discussing the current status, the challenges and the future perspectives for their further development. This new currently in-depth unexplored topic will be covered thoroughly by the present book, which will attract the readership of both the scientific and industrial research communities, even of people who are dealing with cultivations, promoting the development in the field, from conceptual designs to practical realizations.

Dr. D.A. Chalkias is a Research Associate at the Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Laboratory (N&AML) in the Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of the Peloponnese and a Process Engineer at Brite Solar Technologies Company, in Greece. He completed his undergraduate studies and postgraduate research at the University of Patras in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in 2019.

Today, his interests are mainly focused on emerging photovoltaics (PVs) and their upscaling, as well as on novel agrivoltaic technologies. He is well-experienced in the fabrication of mesoscopic and highly ordered nanomaterials, thin films, nanostructured electrodes and advanced polymer electrolytes. On the other hand, he is well-familiar with a large number of materials and solar cells characterization techniques. He has participated as a Research Associate in research projects and in writing scientific projects on the topic of PVs. He has worked as a mechanical and civil engineer assistant, where for a period, he was experienced in planning, design, analysis and installation of PVs. He serves as a Topical Advisory Panel Member, Guest Editor and Reviewer in International Scientific Journals (Referee in over 50 indexed Journals).

Professor E. Stathatos is currently a staff member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Peloponnese, Greece, and the head of the N&AML.

He is also an advisory board member of Brite Solar Technologies Company for agrivoltaic and transparent PV systems and coatings.  He holds several patents in the field of solar energy - PVs and electrochromic systems and published numerous articles/chapters in books while he serves as sectional Chief Editor and associate editor in several journals.

His fields of expertise are third-generation PVs and emerging technologies. In particular, he is interested in the conversion of solar energy to electricity using dye-sensitized, quantum dot and perovskite solar cells. Currently, he is working on transparent PV technologies for agricultural applications, using novel nanocomposite materials and luminescent solar concentrators. Employing these new materials and designs, enhanced PV performance combined with high transparency in the photosynthetically active radiation region can be achieved. Finally, he is also interested in electrochromic nanocomposite materials for smart windows and artificial shading.