Photosynthetically active radiation separation model for high-latitude regions in agrivoltaic systems modeling

Photosynthetically active radiation is a key parameter for determining crop yield. Separating photosynthetically active radiation into direct and diffuse components is significant to agrivoltaic systems. The varying shading conditions caused by the solar panels produce a higher contribution of diffuse irradiance reaching the crops. This study introduces a new separation model capable of accurately estimating the diffuse component from the global photosynthetically active radiation and conveniently retrievable meteorological parameters. The model modifies one of the highest-performing separation models for broadband irradiance, namely, the Yang2 model. Four new predictors are added: atmospheric optical thickness, vapor pressure deficit, aerosol optical depth, and surface albedo. The proposed model has been calibrated, tested, and validated at three sites in Sweden with latitudes above 58 °N, outperforming four other models in all examined locations, with R² values greater than 0.90. The applicability of the developed model is demonstrated using data retrieved from Sweden's first agrivoltaic system. A variety of data availability cases representative of current and future agrivoltaic systems is tested. If on-site measurements of diffuse photosynthetically active radiation are not available, the model calibrated based on nearby stations can be a suitable first approximation, obtaining an R² of 0.89. Utilizing predictor values derived from satellite data is an alternative method, but the spatial resolution must be considered cautiously as the R² dropped to 0.73.