Agrivoltaics: a harmonious solution?

When large-scale solar installations are proposed for rural areas, the reception is not always positive. Concerns raised by regional communities in Australia, for example, have included potential unsightliness, loss of agricultural land and negative environmental impact.¹

There is one type of solar arrangement that might be viewed more favourably, however. Researchers at the University of Bonn have recently investigated attitudes towards agrivoltaics: solar arrays that are installed in spaces simultaneously used for agriculture, such as on pastures or as a canopy over grapevines. According to a survey of almost 2000 people, this form enjoys notably higher acceptance than normal solar parks. The team’s study has been published in the journal Land Use Policy.²

Hendrik Zeddies, from the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn, explained that while agrivoltaics arrays usually reduce agricultural yield, they sometimes also create synergies.

“For example, the solar cells can be used as a transparent canopy to protect fruit trees or grapevines from hailstones or harsh sunlight. On wheat fields, they often serve as wind protection — similar to a wall or a hedge,” he said.

Compare the pair

The online survey initiated by Zeddies and his colleagues Dr Martin Parlasca and Prof Dr Matin Qaim, Director of the ZEF, involved almost 2000 men and women from Germany, chosen to reflect a cross-section of the German population with regard to age, sex, education, income and state of residency.

They were initially given information on the advantages and disadvantages of agrivoltaics and conventional solar parks on open land. Then, they were assigned at random to one of three groups. The first saw photos of a pasture and, as a comparison, a meadow on which long rows of solar panels stood between grazing cows. Similarly, the second group looked at pairs of images of a wheat field with and without solar panels, and the third of a vineyard. These images were each compared with pure solar parks in the same landscape scene.

The researchers showed the respondents images of land used for agriculture and identical landscape scenes in which they had installed solar panels for comparison. Compared to a conventional solar park, agrivoltaics met with greater acceptance. Image ©AG Qaim/Uni Bonn

“We asked the participants how they assessed the intervention in the respective landscape,” Zeddies said. “For instance, how attractive or unattractive they found the areas shown or how they assessed their recreational value.” In addition, they were asked to state whether they would be willing to accept a price premium for the electricity produced in the respective areas, or the reverse: whether they would pay money to prevent the solar park.

Almost 44% would pay more for agrivoltaic electricity

The results show that agrivoltaics met with much higher acceptance — regardless of the scenario shown. Almost 44% would pay more for electricity from these areas; however, only 29% would be willing to do so for normal solar parks on open land. Just 2.9% would also finance measures to prevent agrivoltaics out of their own pockets, while the figure was 4.8% for conventional parks. Although the respondents generally believed that photovoltaics impaired the view of the landscape, these negative impacts were lower in their eyes when it came to agrivoltaics.

“Our survey is hypothetical — the participants do not really have to spend any money,” Qaim said. “Nevertheless, the results allow us to conclude that agrivoltaics meets with greater acceptance among the public than normal open-space solar systems.”

Agrivoltaics could, therefore, be a way to accelerate the development of environmentally friendly energy without provoking major conflicts among the population and jeopardising food security.

However, Zeddies, who grew up on a farm, has some reservations. For instance, the costs for these systems are higher than for conventional open-space systems. As agrivoltaics also delivers lower electricity yields, these initial investments are paid off slowly. “Without subsidies, it will presumably not be possible to install many systems,” he said.

Benefits to Australia

Meanwhile, researchers at The University of Melbourne have been exploring the benefits of photovoltaics specific to Australian environmental conditions.

“The research, funded by AgriFutures, comprises a review of existing studies here and overseas, engagement with industry, an agrivoltaics pilot study set in the university’s vineyard at the Dookie Campus, and knowledge sharing, nationally,” said Dr Sabine Tausz-Posch, Senior Lecturer in Agricultural Food Sciences at The University of Melbourne.

“Our project, titled ‘Agrivoltaics: A Win-Win for Farmers?’, is expected to find and share how different farms with different crops can use agrivoltaics and strike the right balance of crop solar exposure throughout the day and season, to improve the environment in which plants grow — all the while generating clean power from the sun,” Tausz-Posch said.

Better use of sun, land and water

Agrivoltaics could create transformational benefits at the nexus of food, energy and water, according to the Australian researchers.

Firstly, solar panels placed on the same area of land where crops are grown means energy can effectively be harnessed from the sun twice: once with the photovoltaics, and once with the plants growing around them.

Secondly, solar panels can improve water use, with the micro-climatic environment created by the solar arrays reducing evaporative water losses.

Finally, solar panels may protect crops from heat stress and severe weather events such as hail, benefiting yields and profitability. At the same time, the solar panels also operate more efficiently because of the cooling effect of the crops growing underneath them.

Further research needed

While some international studies have shown that farms can significantly benefit from integrating solar installations, particularly in the hot and harsh environments typical in Australia, other studies have revealed a more complex relationship between shade and crop yield (especially in cooler climates), according to the Melbourne team.

It’s clear that more research is needed on how agrivoltaics could benefit Australian farming industries; these researchers are committed to providing some necessary local answers.

<sub>1. https://www.farmernews.com.au/council-asked-to-object-over-solar-proposal
2. Hendrik Hilmar Zeddies, Martin Parlasca, Matin Qaim: Agrivoltaics increases public acceptance of solar energy production on agricultural land; Land Use Policy; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2025.107604</sub>

Top image credit: iStock.com/panaramka