CMOS: advanced and beyond
Discover why imec is the premier R&D center for advanced logic & memory devices.
Integrated photonics
Take a look at technologies for optical transceivers, sensors and more.
Health technologies
See how imec brings the power of chip technology to the world of healthcare.
Sensing and actuation
Explore imec’s CMOS- and photonics-based sensing and actuation systems.
Connectivity technology
Look into our reliable, high-performance, low-power network technologies.
More expertises
Discover all our expertises.
Research
Be the first to reap the benefits of imec’s research by joining one of our programs or starting an exclusive bilateral collaboration.
Manufacturing
Go from idea to scalable and reliable semiconductor manufacturing with IC-Link.
Venturing
We create and co-create new ventures, and we invest in and accelerate existing ventures.
Education and workforce development
Imec supports formal and on-the-job training for a range of careers in semiconductors.
NanoIC pilot line
Aligned with the EU Chips Act, access to the pilot line will accelerate beyond-2nm innovation.
Optimizing agrivoltaic system configurations for maximum PV energy yield under crop light availability constraints in diffuse-irradiance temperate climates
Master internship - Genk | Just now
Optimizing agrivoltaic system configurations for maximum PV energy yield under crop light
availability constraints in diffuse-irradiance temperate climates
Agrivoltaic (AV) systems combine photovoltaic energy generation with agricultural production on the same land,
offering a solution to land-use competition between food and energy systems. AV already operates across
temperate Europe, including Dutch raspberry farms, where AV structures buffer microclimate comparably to plastic
tunnels while generating renewable energy [1]. Broader adoption could support renewable energy targets. However,
in temperate climates with high diffuse irradiance fractions, crops receive less total radiation than in Mediterranean
or arid regions, making them more sensitive to additional AV shading. Existing studies use generic crop categories
without crop-specific PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) thresholds, or evaluate fixed installations without
optimizing configuration parameters [2], [3], [4], leaving a gap in understanding how tilt angle, row spacing, and
ground coverage ratio influence the trade-off between PV energy yield and crop-level PAR availability. This research
asks: how do open-field AV configuration parameters influence this trade-off in diffuse-irradiance temperate
climates?
Objectives
- Conduct a systematic literature review on AV simulation methods, crop-specific PAR thresholds, and openfield
AV system performance under temperate climates
- Collect and process Belgian meteorological data (irradiance, cloud cover, diffuse fraction) from ERA5 or the
Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium
- Develop a parametric Python simulation model, using existing libraries (pvlib, bifacial_radiance), to
calculate PV energy yield and ground-level PAR distribution across varying open-field configurations (tilt
angle, orientation, row spacing, mounting height, ground coverage ratio)
- Determine, for each configuration, whether crop-specific PAR thresholds are met for selected Belgian
arable crops (e.g. wheat, sugar beet) based on literature values
- Validate the simulation model against measured irradiance and energy yield data from Belgian AV pilot
installations [3], and cross-check against published simulation benchmarks
- Evaluate viable configurations using shading ratio, light homogeneity index, specific energy yield
(kWh/kWp), and energy yield per unit area (kWh/m²), and formulate design guidelines transferable beyond
the Belgian case
Proposed scientific methodology
This research combines a structured literature review with parametric simulation and scenario analysis. A Python
model will be developed using pvlib and bifacial_radiance, with ERA5 meteorological data as climate input. The
model systematically varies tilt angle, orientation, row spacing, mounting height, and ground coverage ratio,
calculating PV energy yield and ground-level PAR distribution. A viable configuration is defined as one where PAR
remains above the crop-specific light compensation point from agronomic literature. Outputs will be validated
against Belgian AV pilot data from [3] and simulation benchmarks from Niazi & Victoria [2]. Performance will be
optimized on the PAR ratio (ground-level PAR relative to open-field PAR), with specific energy yield (kWh/kWp) as
secondary metric. Belgium is a representative case study due to its high diffuse irradiance fraction (50–60% of
global horizontal irradiance, GHI) and temperate oceanic climate, characteristics shared across North-Western
Europe.Type of internship: Master internship
Required educational background: Energy
Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Shu-Ngwa Asaa (Shu-Ngwa.Asaa@imec.be) and Arnaud Morlier (Arnaud.Morlier@imec.be)
The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-235. Mention this reference code in your application.
Only for self-supporting students.
Applications should include the following information:
- resume
- motivation
- current study
Incomplete applications will not be considered.