Between June and August 2025, four students completed summer internships at LaRINa, contributing directly to the preparation of the monitoring concept for the planned Dig-e-Farm pilot plant. Supervised jointly by the project’s partner institutions, the internships covered a broad range of technical topics and played an important role in advancing key project components.
Targeted Internships for Technical Development
One student team focused on the design of a demonstration Agri-PV system at LaRINa, supporting the practical development of the pilot installation. Another internship concentrated on further developing an AI-based algorithm for the automated detection and classification of data, strengthening the project’s digital analysis capabilities. A third project addressed the implementation of a mobile and desktop application based on explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), aimed at presenting analysis results in a transparent and user-friendly manner. The fourth internship focused on research into the current state of AI-based energy management systems, analysing existing solutions and identifying approaches relevant for Dig-e-Farm’s own system development.
Academic Contributions to Pilot Plant Planning
In parallel with the internships, a final thesis project entitled “Agri-PV Technologies and System Design” was successfully completed between April and August 2025 and presented on 15 May 2025. The project focused on the optimal dimensioning of the pilot plant and provided valuable technical insights for the planning of the Agri-Photovoltaic installation.
Building Capacity for Long-Term Impact
Together, the internships, the completed thesis project, and a seminar involving approximately 60 students significantly expanded the pool of well-qualified specialists. In particular, young engineers and researchers were systematically trained and familiarised with the implementation roadmap of the Dig-e-Farm project, strengthening both local capacity development and the project’s long-term innovation potential.