Key Facts: Agrivoltaics is the innovative practice of dual‐use solar and farming. 1) Capacity: In 2021 at least 14 GW of agrivoltaic solar was already operating worldwide (nearly 6 GW in the US) ren21.net. 2) Land Pressure: The US DOE estimates needing ~10 million acres for solar by 2050, with ~80% of that on farmland news.cornell.edu. Cornell studies find ≈84% of New York’s “solar‐viable” land is prime cropland news.cornell.edu. 3) Yield Boost: Research shows shade‐tolerant crops (berries, lettuce, herbs, etc.) can even increase yields under panels – up to ~16% gains in fruits and berries. 4) Cooling Effect: Raising panels high (e.g. 4 m above soy) can cool them ~10 °C, boosting PV efficiency. 5) Adoption: By early 2023 the US had 314 agrivoltaic projects (~2.8 GW) energy.gov. 6) Funding: US federal R&D support recently more than tripled, with millions funneled into solar‐farm research thebreakthrough.org.
What Is Agrivoltaics? (Definition & History)
Agrivoltaics (also “agrovoltaics” or solar‐agriculture co-location) means installing solar panels above or amid crops and livestock so farmland yields both food and electricity energy.gov, frontiergroup.org. The US Department of Energy defines it as “agricultural production, such as crop or livestock … underneath or adjacent to solar panels” energy.gov. This idea dates back decades: researchers first proposed it in the early 1980s to ease land‐use conflict between food and energy frontiergroup.org. One National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report notes agrivoltaics “pair solar with agriculture, creating energy and providing space for crops, grazing, and native habitats under … panels.” frontiergroup.org. After early experiments in Europe and Japan (2000s), the concept has “gained momentum in recent years” as solar costs fell and renewable goals grew frontiergroup.org.
As Oregon State’s agronomist Chad Higgins puts it: the choice between solar and farming “is a false one” – they “can coexist and even create mutual benefits.” reuters.com. Indeed, agrivoltaics is seen as a way to optimize limited land: by 2050 the US may need ~3,100–3,500 GW of wind+solar (per The Nature Conservancy) – a land area the size of two states. Agrivoltaics promises to let that solar build-out happen without “the death of farming,” says Cornell’s Rich Stedman: farmers could “harvest the sun and harvest plants or graze livestock under the panels” instead of abandoning crops news.cornell.edu.
How Dual‐Use Solar and Farming Works
In practice, agrivoltaics uses creative panel layouts and farm practices to benefit both energy and agriculture. Panels can be elevated higher (allowing farm machinery to pass), spaced farther apart, or mounted on adjustable/rotating frames so that plants get optimal light. For example, research in vineyards found tiltable solar panels greatly helped vines: they provided shade on hot afternoons (cutting heat stress), held warmth to prevent frost at night, and even reduced irrigation needs by limiting evaporation. On cloudy days or during storms the panels can be angled flat to admit more light or protect crops news.cornell.edu.
This “smart shading” creates a microclimate under the array – cooler by day, warmer by night with more soil moisture frontiergroup.org. Many high-value crops and forage thrive in partial shade: studies show lettuce, spinach and tomatoes can “adapt to the conditions under photovoltaic systems” by altering leaf growth frontiergroup.org. Similarly, grapes grown under panels may ripen a bit slower, but simply delaying the harvest by 1–2 weeks proved an easy fix frontiergroup.org. Agrivoltaic fields also often incorporate pollinator habitats and grazing animals. Instead of neatly mowed turf (which hurts soil and wildlife), farms seed flowers and grasses under panels. In Europe and the US, grazing sheep are used to control vegetation – and they prefer the shade! Higgins’ team found lambs grazing under panels grew just as well as in the open, and even needed less water, demonstrating a “symbiotic” benefit reuters.com.
The power system and crops can also help each other. Crops transpire and cool the air, which in turn lowers panel temperature – boosting efficiency reuters.com. As Higgins says, “they’re like any other electronic device: they become more efficient as they become cooler” reuters.com. In sum, careful design and management lets the farm “harvest the sun and harvest plants” simultaneously news.cornell.edu.
Crops & Climates: What Grows Best Under Panels
Agrivoltaics isn’t one‐size‐fits‐all. Shade-tolerant vegetables, fruits and forage do especially well. Soft fruits (berries, grapes), leafy greens (lettuce, kale), herbs, and root veggies under mild climates often see no yield loss and sometimes yield boosts frontiergroup.org. For instance, studies find partial shade can increase berry yields up to ~16% and make water-hungry vines more drought-resilient. In arid and hot regions, the panel shade drastically cuts evaporation and plant heat stress news.cornell.ed, ufrontiergroup.org. Across Asia and the Mediterranean, agrivoltaics trials are underway with tomatoes, peppers, saffron, and even specialty crops like aloe and agave (which have similar water needs to panel cleaning) frontiergroup.org.
However, very tall or sun‐loving crops can struggle. Corn or sugarcane, for example, easily outgrow typical panel height and require full sun for maximum yield – Cornell experts warn they’re generally “logistically infeasible” to farm under tight PV arrays. Instead, grains like wheat or barley can be done with widely spaced or vertical panels (as in some European pilots). Large farm machinery also poses limits: as Cornell’s dairy specialist Joe Lawrence notes, giant tractors can maneuver around a few panels, but operations with 30‑ft mowers find it challenging. In practice, many agrivoltaic sites focus on small to medium farmers or niche crops. For example, Cornell’s trials include strawberries, lettuce and radishes under tilting panels, and a high canopy array (12 ft up) over 1,100 apple trees.
The climate also matters: research shows agrivoltaics offers biggest gains in sunny, arid and semi-arid regions, where panel shading relieves severe heat and drought stress frontiergroup.org. In cooler, cloudier climates, the benefits are more subtle – though even there one study found panels can still increase net productivity by making better use of diffuse light and trapping heat on cool days frontiergroup.org, reuters.com. Overall, most experts agree not all fields are right for agrivoltaics. The trick is matching crops to site: shade-loving and high-value crops under panels, while keeping prime flat fields for traditional agriculture. As American Farmland Trust’s Linda Garrett puts it, agrivoltaics should be treated “as a farm viability tool” – especially for farms facing climate stress or those wanting extra income.
Global Case Studies and Projects
Agrivoltaics is now being tested and scaled worldwide. In the United States, dozens of pilot farms have sprung up. Colorado’s Jack’s Solar Garden (TNC partnership) grows greens and herbs under a 1.2 MW array on reclaimed soil, proving even “once-barren solar fields can produce crops”. In New York State, Cornell’s Agrivoltaics Research Program (funded with $1 M state support) is running trials at Ravena (berries and greens under single-axis trackers) and planning a 300 kW orchard canopy (panels 12 ft up, track sun over apple trees). These projects examine yields, pests, soil health and economics. Cornell reports that roughly half of farmers leasing land for solar intend to practice agrivoltaics, and extension agents like Caroline Marschner emphasize objective research: “we as the land-grant university… can test some of these company claims and provide legitimate data”.
Europe is a hotbed of agrivoltaics. Germany has formal guidelines (Fraunhofer ISE advised) and a target of 22 GW/yr of solar by 2026 – with many systems built over fields. Fraunhofer estimated >14 GW of agrivoltaic had been installed by 2021, largely in Germany, Japan, South Korea, China and France reuters.com. Companies like BayWa r.e. (Germany) are developing farms: Schindele of BayWa notes their pilots in the Netherlands and Spain co-locate raspberries and tomatoes with PV, yielding more resilience against extreme weather reuters.com. In France, utility and growers have launched projects – TotalEnergies is testing vineyards under PV, even using vertically mounted panels to integrate with crop rotations reuters.com. The EU’s new green ambitions explicitly include agrivoltaics (beyond rooftop solar) as a “multiple-use” space strategy. Spain’s Iberdrola won contracts to co-fund agri-PV sites in France (12 MW of PV over farmland) reuters.com.
In Asia and Latin America interest is rising. Japan and South Korea have over 2 GW of agrivoltaic projects (often rice fields with elevated PV). Singapore’s Sunseap and France’s Sun’Agri are trialing dynamic panels in rice and orchards. Brazil and India (each with vast agricultural zones) have launched government programs. For example, Indonesia’s village farmers use 25 kW trackers above cabbage beds to mitigate hail damage reuters.com. Even Kenya and Senegal are exploring solar+maize pilots for drought resilience. The International Emissions Agency (IEA) notes that using just 1% of cropland for solar could match global energy demand reuters.com – a sign of the vast theoretical potential.
Technologies Behind the Magic
Modern agrivoltaic farms use a suite of innovations. Mounting systems vary: some sites raise fixed racks to human height, others use single or dual-axis trackers that tilt panels east-west (synchronizing with the sun) or flip panels vertically when needed. For instance, Cornell researchers used single-axis tilting panels to follow the sun over a potato field, reducing panel heat stress news.cornell.edu. France’s startups (Sun’Agri) have built dynamic trackers for vineyards that adjust angles daily. Vertical or semi-transparent panels are also explored: by placing panels on their sides (like hedges) between crop rows, more light passes through gaps, and panels collect radiation on both faces (bifacial PV). A recent study found such vertical arrays could limit crop area loss to <20%, making combined wheat+solar more profitable than wheat alone.
Sensors and automation are emerging too. Some farms use IoT soil moisture and weather sensors to control irrigation and panel tilt. For example, sensors can detect impending frost or heavy rain and angle panels flat for crop protection. Bifacial modules and transparent solar cells (transmitting red/blue light) are being trialed to maximize photosynthesis while generating power. Even batteries or microgrids may be co-installed so the farm uses some solar energy directly for pumps and cold storage. In short, agrivoltaics blends solar engineering (structure, electronics, control) with precision agriculture tools to optimize both harvests. As one farmer-engineer says, integrating PV on farms “isn’t rocket science” – but it does require new design thinking to “merge and leverage synergies” between the two systems reuters.com.
Environmental and Economic Benefits
Experts cite multiple benefits. Land efficiency: By growing food under panels instead of clearing land, agrivoltaics “increases land use efficiency”. This helps conserve natural habitats: TNC’s Duncan Gilchrist notes that well-managed solar sites can actually restore soil and wildlife. In Colorado trials, a degraded field under PV was transformed with cover crops and pollinator gardens. Biodiversity: Planting native wildflowers under arrays creates critical pollinator habitat. Studies in Europe and the US show bees and butterflies are attracted to solar meadows, extending bloom seasons reuters.com, frontiergroup.org. This could boost pollination for neighboring crops too. Even pests can be managed better: extra shade can deter some weeds, and grazers eat grass so herbicide use falls.
Water & climate: Shade from panels cuts evaporation drastically. Experiments in hot climates found irrigation needs drop 14–29% for lettuce and up to 50% for certain vegetables en.wikipedia.org. Panels also buffer crops from heatwaves and frost, stabilizing yields in extreme weather. Conversely, cooler panels (thanks to evapotranspiration and height) run at higher efficiency, aiding energy output reuters.com. On a larger scale, every megawatt of dual-use solar offsets fossil CO₂ and protects farmland from becoming a solar-only zone. The joint U.S. / Sino / Fraunhofer research suggests agrivoltaics can cut greenhouse gas intensity by keeping land carbon-rich while generating clean power iea-pvps.org.
Farmer income and resilience: Perhaps most important economically, agrivoltaics gives farmers diversified revenue. In struggling rural areas, solar lease fees can keep farms afloat even if crop prices slump. “Even if it’s a bad year [for crops] farmers still have an income,” notes French agronomist Alizée Loiseau reuters.com. American Farmland Trust stresses the same point: agrivoltaics can be a “viability tool” to help new and aging farmers survive. In Europe, one analysis found that combining solar+grain on a hectare could yield ~$1,400/year – flipping a $0 net loss crop into profit. In the US, diversified income from solar might mean a farmer affording better equipment or soil improvements. A DOE/Nature Sustainability review confirms: co-locating solar “provides agricultural enterprises with diversified revenue sources and ecological benefits, while reducing land use competition.” energy.gov.
Challenges and Limitations
Despite promise, agrivoltaics faces hurdles. Cost: Agrivoltaic systems require sturdier racking, more engineering, and often fencing/pollinator mix – raising costs. Fraunhofer experts estimate LCOE (levelized cost of electricity) for agrivoltaics is 20–60% higher than for standard ground PV reuters.com. Higher upfront and maintenance costs (e.g. cleaning panels above vegetation, sensor networks) can slow deployment without subsidies. Regulation: Many regions have no clear rules for agrivoltaics. Farmers report frustration that zoning laws and agricultural codes typically don’t account for dual-use. For instance, Cornell researchers warn that “impractical regulations” could stymie growth reuters.com. Germany and Italy are ahead: both now have guidelines for agrivoltaic permitting (continuity of farming, monitoring water/yield/soil) reuters.com. But elsewhere, projects can stall for years amid ambiguity. As BayWa r.e.’s Schindele warns, “policy frameworks… have to adapt” – regulators and utilities must coordinate on energy, agriculture and finance to break down silos reuters.com.
Scalability: Not all farms or crops suit panels. Heavy machinery, shading needs, and panel row spacing limit full-farm uptake. There’s also farm-management complexity: running two systems together requires new skills. Early adopters have had to learn by trial and error (“a 10-year learning process” similar to rooftop solar roll-out) reuters.com. Research gaps remain: it’s still early days for understanding pest/disease changes, long-term soil effects, and optimal layouts for each crop. For example, if panels block pollinators or cause excessive humidity, negative effects could offset gains. Moreover, as a Breakthrough Institute review notes, most agrivoltaic sites today involve either grazing or cover crops, but few grow substantial food yett hebreakthrough.org. Scaling up to meaningful levels will require more data and demonstration.
Competition with food: Critics say more research is needed to ensure net gains. One analysis points out U.S. agrivoltaics is still tiny – ~588 sites (all sizes) totaling ~10 GW thebreakthrough.org, only a sliver of the 1,570 GW target by 2050. Until panels cover more acreage with crops beneath, land-use conflicts remain hypothetical. Opponents also worry that, without safeguards, agrivoltaics could lure production away from the most fertile lands. Experts therefore emphasize careful siting (avoiding prime farmland) and shared benefits for farmers.
Expert Insights and Future Outlook
Agrivoltaics is moving from niche research to policy discussion. Agencies and think tanks are taking note. The IEA’s Photovoltaic Programme just released a technical report praising agrivoltaics as “promising for optimizing land use” but stresses the need for harmonized definitions, modelling tools and strong policies iea-pvps.org. The US Departments of Energy and Agriculture have both ramped up funding for agrivoltaics – USDA’s climate-smart grants poured millions into pilot farms in 2022 thebreakthrough.org, and DOE’s SETO office is funding multi-million “FARMS” projects (Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt-Scale).
Experts predict steady growth. Polls show farmers warming to the idea: one Ember report noted “more than 70% of farmers in Germany are now willing to implement the technology.” Technology advances (smarter panels, drones for inspection, precision irrigation) are expected to make agrivoltaics more cost-effective. Cornell’s Max Zhang cautions that economics will decide adoption: “the cost-effectiveness of agrivoltaics systems is crucial to market adoption… we must ensure electricity remains affordable”. Still, universities and agencies are optimistic that with supportive policy, technical improvements and farmer buy-in, agrivoltaics can play a significant role.
In summary, agrivoltaics is emerging as a compelling “win-win” strategy. As Oregon State’s Chad Higgins puts it, the solar vs. agriculture debate “is a non-starter” – with smart design they can reinforce each other reuters.com. However, he notes, it’s not a silver bullet: research is ongoing to quantify exactly when and where agrivoltaics yields net climate and food benefits. For now, the evidence is clear that solar arrays don’t inevitably eat farmland; they can enhance it. With solar demand booming, many experts see agrivoltaics as a critical tool to keep the lights on and the farms thriving.Sources: Recent research reports, government and university press releases, and interviews with agronomists and energy experts (as cited above) provide the data and quotes in this report news.cornell.edu, energy.gov, reuters.com, frontiergroup.org, iea-pvps.org. Each insight above is supported by the referenced studies and expert statements
