Agricultural Science and Food Processing

Engineering notes

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Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为光伏效率、钙钛矿太阳能电池、储能技术、太阳能热利用、BIPV、并网技术等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

Reliable electricity remains a significant barrier to agricultural productivity in rural Nigeria. This case study investigated the potential of agrivoltaic systems, combining solar energy generation with crop production, to address food processing and water supply challenges in the Anambra State Agricultural Zones. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), a cross-sectional survey was administered to 845 respondents, of whom 840 returned valid questionnaires, food processors, and water facility operators across 16 communities using probability-proportional-to-size sampling (design effect = 2.0). Descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression were used to assess perceptions and associations. Results showed strong agreement that agrivoltaic systems could reduce post-harvest losses (mean = 4.2) and improve water pumping consistency (mean = 4.5). Ordinal logistic regression revealed that willingness to adopt agricultural systems was significantly associated with higher perceived improvements in food processing (OR = 1.42, p < 0.01) and water supply (OR = 1.53, p < 0.01). Major barriers included high upfront costs, land tenure insecurity (42% of respondents do not hold family-owned land titles, relying instead on communal, rental, or informal arrangements), and concerns about panel damage from heavy rains and winds (mean = 4.18) as well as battery replacement costs (mean = 2.34). A simplified levelized cost of energy (LCOE) comparison found solar agricultural systems (\textnaira 80/kWh) substantially cheaper than diesel generators (\textnaira 736/kWh). All regression findings are associational, not causal, due to potential reverse causality and omitted variable bias. As a case study of Anambra's humid tropical zone, findings are not directly generalizable to semi-arid or Sahelian regions. Recommendations include government-subsidized pilot projects, community-based land tenure agreements, and local technical training.

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