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Last Update: 10/26/2026 at 11:33 PM EST
Agrivoltaics
Coverage from Deutsche Welle, Energies Media, and others
Agrivoltaics places solar panels within working agricultural systems rather than treating farmland solely as an energy site.
Raised, spaced, vertical, semi-transparent, or sensor-controlled arrays can generate electricity while crops grow beneath them or livestock graze around them; projects include strawberry greenhouses in France, sheep grazing in the United States, and Jack’s Solar Garden in Colorado. Shade may reduce heat stress and evaporation, but results vary by crop, climate, and design. The approach also raises practical questions about construction costs, machinery access, grid connections, farm economics, land use, and policies that support dual-use development.
Key Articles4 of 83 articles
If you read one thing
It provides the broadest overview of agrivoltaics, balancing crop and climate effects with adoption barriers and deployment scale.
Latest development
As a Story So Far driver, it adds a material update on who benefits from projects and the barriers to fair adoption.
The evidence
Its Colorado grassland findings offer concrete evidence that shade-related growth benefits can be substantial in dry conditions.
The evidence
It illustrates an operating agrivoltaic model in which sheep grazing can support farm income and solar-site maintenance.
Key Issues
Crop and climate determine yield outcomes
Panel shade can ease heat and water stress, with some trials reporting crop benefits, but effects vary by crop, weather, irrigation, and panel design. Excess shade can reduce growth or yields, and shade cannot replace irrigation during severe drought.
Costs and project logistics constrain adoption
Agrivoltaics can require costlier structures and changes to farm operations, while grid delays and uncertain project returns complicate deployment. High upfront costs and funding patterns can also favor large operators over smaller farmers and communities.
Operating projects exist, but deployment remains limited
Agrivoltaics is operating or being tested in crop production, solar grazing, and research settings, but reported worldwide capacity remains below 1% of global solar capacity. These examples establish workable models, not widespread adoption.
Key Numbers
30%
maximum recommended shade level
“In a 2024 review with Magarelli and Mazzeo, the group recommended keeping shade below 30% to avoid substantial declines in fruit yield and quality.”
1.84°C
average daytime leaf cooling
“The researchers tested the model using weather data from a hot, humid day at a hypothetical tomato farm in Princeton, New Jersey. Tomato leaves beneath solar panels were 1.84°C cooler on average during the day than leaves in an open field. During peak afternoon heat, the difference reached 7.56°C.”
22.4%
decline in evapotranspiration
“The crops received 47% less sunlight beneath the panels, but carbon uptake declined by only 31%. The results suggest that reduced heat stress allowed the plants to photosynthesize more efficiently than they would have in an unshaded field. Evapotranspiration also fell by 22.4%, indicating improved water-use efficiency.”
31%
decline in carbon uptake
“The crops received 47% less sunlight beneath the panels, but carbon uptake declined by only 31%. The results suggest that reduced heat stress allowed the plants to photosynthesize more efficiently than they would have in an unshaded field. Evapotranspiration also fell by 22.4%, indicating improved water-use efficiency.”
47%
reduction in sunlight received
“The crops received 47% less sunlight beneath the panels, but carbon uptake declined by only 31%. The results suggest that reduced heat stress allowed the plants to photosynthesize more efficiently than they would have in an unshaded field. Evapotranspiration also fell by 22.4%, indicating improved water-use efficiency.”
Looking Back
234 Day Timeline
Feb 28
Apr 11
May 16
Jun 27
Aug 1
Sep 12
Oct 17
The Story So Far
Broadening
Evidence shows agrivoltaic funding favors large-scale projects
New reporting adds a distributional concern to agrivoltaics’ technical and adoption challenges: a review found that about 86% of roughly €775 million in public funding went to large-scale projects, while high upfront costs and grid-connection queues can further disadvantage smaller farmers and communities.
Previously
Agrivoltaics combines solar generation with farming or grazing, and projects across the United States and Europe are testing how panel design and shade affect agricultural production. Panels can reduce heat and water stress, but crop yields vary with conditions and excessive shade can limit growth; higher costs, grid delays, and operational constraints also affect adoption. The evidence points to a site- and crop-specific approach rather than a single expected benefit.
All Articles83 articles
Important
By mid-2025, agrivoltaic projects worldwide paired solar generation with crops or livestock, reaching 18.4 gigawatts while facing regional yield and cost constraints.
9/25/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Hosseini and colleagues published a 2026 model showing agrivoltaic panels improved tomato cooling, water efficiency, worker heat exposure, and panel performance in Princeton, New Jersey.
9/6/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Researchers in southern Ontario found that carefully designed photovoltaic shading increased turnip biomass while supporting potential agricultural and solar revenues in Canada.
9/5/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Hosseini et al. modeled a Princeton, New Jersey, tomato farm and found agrivoltaic panels reduced crop heat, water loss, and worker heat exposure.
8/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
RWE commissioned two elevated agrivoltaic plants in Benevento, Italy, providing 19.1 MW of solar capacity above cultivated land under Italy's agricultural-use rules.
8/31/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
In India, government agencies, researchers and farmer groups are being urged to develop bankable agrivoltaics projects, building on PM-KUSUM and a 100 kWp research facility inaugurated in December 2025.
10/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In 2025, researchers and policymakers across Europe examined agrivoltaics as a way to combine solar generation and farming, while identifying risks to smaller farmers and local communities.
10/11/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
European farmers and energy developers are expanding agrivoltaic projects across Europe as extreme heat and drought increase pressure on crop production.
9/22/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Josh Pierce and other New York farmers are using sheep to manage vegetation at solar farms across the Adirondacks, with a cattle pilot launched in Fort Covington during summer.
9/20/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
US solar developers are being urged to manage agricultural soils, vegetation, and grazing systems beneath utility-scale photovoltaic arrays across rural America.
9/16/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Purdue University researchers are evaluating agrivoltaics in Indiana as solar development expands, examining whether combined agricultural and photovoltaic production can improve acceptance and rural resilience.
9/7/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Giuseppe Ferrara's Italian research group and Princeton researchers are evaluating agrivoltaic systems in Italy and New Jersey, finding reduced heat and water stress alongside potential crop and efficiency tradeoffs.
9/2/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
University of Arizona SALSA lab researchers test agrivoltaics in Arizona and report cooler panels and reduced heat exposure for farm crews.
7/6/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Interesting
After a 2023 pilot, The Food Group, U.S. Solar and Conexus Energy made the Big Lake Farm agrivoltaics project permanent in Big Lake, Minnesota, with 10-year leases for three farmers.
9/27/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers began testing agrivoltaic solar systems in 2025 at the Kegonsa Research Campus near Madison, Wisconsin, to measure crop and ecosystem performance.
9/21/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
RWE tested agrivoltaic solar configurations in 2020s Germany near Bedburg's Garzweiler mine to combine renewable electricity generation with wheat, barley, and raspberry production.
9/20/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
The Extended Day-Ahead Market, Western power authorities, Massachusetts researchers, New Jersey farms, and Barber's Farmhouse Cheesemakers demonstrated climate-related cost and efficiency gains in the United States and England.
9/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Greening Group installed a 3.65 MWp agrivoltaic solar system with battery storage in an olive grove at ACESUR's facility in Vilches, Spain.
9/15/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
US farmers, renewable-energy developers, and policymakers are contesting farmland solar development as agrivoltaic projects expand across Texas and other rural regions.
9/12/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
The Vatican plans to build an 80-to-90-megawatt agrivoltaic solar plant at Santa Maria di Galeria near Rome within two years to supply Vatican facilities.
9/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
John Czajkowski Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts, is using an 832-panel agrivoltaic system to produce crops and electricity while reducing farm power costs.
9/9/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. is expanding agrivoltaic solar projects in the Philippines to combine electricity generation with crop production and support host communities.
9/6/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Solar Plus Garden describes a 10 MW polycrystalline solar project combining electricity generation and up to 3,000 garden plots in an Estonian-Serbian agrivoltaic model.
9/3/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Farmers and solar developers are expanding agrivoltaic projects in 2025 across U.S. agricultural regions, while USDA funding restrictions and local opposition complicate renewable-energy siting.
9/2/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Square Roots Farm and BlueWave Solar presented a proposed 3,973.2-kilowatt agrivoltaic array in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, while seeking guidance on a scenic-viewshed zoning variance.
9/1/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Renewable Energy Farmers of America is advising rural landowners across 30 states on wind and solar leases, agricultural integration, and project impacts in the United States.
8/29/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In 2026, Josef Wimmer tested elevated photovoltaic panels above hop fields near Osseltshausen, Bavaria, to reduce drought stress and supplement farm income.
8/16/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Our Table Cooperative in south of Portland, Oregon, installs the Lettuce Shine agrivoltaics system to manage crop shade and generate power amid regional warming.
4/24/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Researchers in a northern-climate study found that 55% transparent neutral solar panels increased lettuce production by 300% while generating electricity in agrivoltaic cold frames.
9/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
A Princeton University-led team modeled solar panels in central New Jersey and found agrivoltaic shading reduced tomato farmworker temperatures by about 7 degrees Fahrenheit.
9/5/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
The Vatican is developing an 80 to 90 megawatt agrivoltaic facility outside Rome by 2028 to supply Vatican City and advance carbon neutrality.
9/3/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
The Holy See and Italy activated an agreement on May 28, 2026, for a solar farm at Santa Maria di Galeria to supply Vatican City and Italy.
9/1/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Researchers modeled agrivoltaic tomato production in Princeton, New Jersey, finding solar panels reduced crop heat, water loss, and worker temperatures while sustaining carbon uptake.
8/31/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation deploys agrivoltaics at nearly 200 MW in Batangas, Philippines, guided by Tarlac trials testing turmeric under solar PV.
7/4/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Agrivoltaics project designs are evaluated by crop-specific farm performance, cost, and repeat adoption, with grazing under standard PV identified as most scalable.
7/4/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
SALSA continues agrivoltaics research in Arizona after foundation funding replaces USDA and DOE support, linking farmworker heat protection with solar generation.
6/15/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Researchers found that semi-transparent photovoltaics combined with heat pumps could fully electrify tomato greenhouses and cut emissions 71.7% in Southern Ontario.
9/7/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Researchers in Southern Ontario found that combining semi-transparent solar photovoltaics with heat pumps increased tomato yields and reduced greenhouse emissions by 71.7%.
9/7/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Colorado State University and Cornell University researchers reported in 2025 that solar arrays improved grass productivity during four years of field study near Longmont, Colorado.
9/28/2026 • Adaptation & Resilience • General
Drought damaged newly planted berries at Byron Kominek's Jack's Solar Garden in Boulder County, Colorado, after irrigation water was cut off during a historically dry 2020s season.
9/20/2026 • Adaptation & Resilience • General
David Moreau and Sun'Agri launched an agrivoltaic vineyard system in early May at Saint-Andre-de-Lidon, France, to protect vines from heat, hail, and frost.
8/7/2026 • Adaptation & Resilience • General
University of Arizona researchers studying agrivoltaics in Casa Grande, Arizona report shaded solar arrays can lower skin temperatures and water use for crops.
7/5/2026 • Adaptation & Resilience • General
In Virginia, agrivoltaics legislation and working-group planning support expanding cattle grazing on utility-scale solar sites through operational measures and farm partnerships.
5/13/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Studies across Italy, Canada, and Brazil assess agrivoltaics productivity, while China and the US expand solar grazing and mapped site inventories in 2024.
4/15/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In its first harvest, Ring Road Solar produced 325 cranberry barrels from its agrivoltaic bogs in Plympton, Massachusetts, after picking in late October and early November.
9/25/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
The Food Group, U.S. Solar, and Conexus Energy made their 1-megawatt agrivoltaics project permanent in 2026 at Big Lake Farm in Minnesota, enabling three farmers to grow crops alongside solar panels.
9/17/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
University of Illinois researchers presented agrivoltaic crop-yield and farm-equipment findings on August 5 at the Illinois Energy Farm in Illinois.
8/26/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
A Massachusetts farm installed 832 elevated solar panels above berry fields to produce electricity and reduce crop heat and moisture stress.
8/2/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Doral and Kibbutz Ma'ale Gilboa harvested 30 tons of grapes under solar panels on Mount Gilboa, Israel, demonstrating agrivoltaics for heat-stressed farming.
7/27/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Virginia Senate Bill 340 defines agrivoltaics as solar panels enable concurrent farming and drought-related water savings while renewable capacity expands for data center demand.
6/30/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Agrivoltaics deployment in the United States combines solar PV generation and crop production to improve land use efficiency while providing farm energy and potential yield support.
6/27/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
U.S. solar farms adopting agrivoltaics and irrigation shading in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, and Texas aim to improve crop conditions and biodiversity outcomes alongside electricity generation.
5/24/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Linda Hezel tests a 9.7-kilowatt agrivoltaics solar array in Kearney, Missouri to reduce extreme-heat crop losses.
5/6/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Iowa State University researchers report first year agrivoltaics results at the Alliant Energy Solar Farm in Iowa in 2024.
2/28/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
After launching as a 2023 pilot, The Food Group, U.S. Solar and Conexus Energy made Big Lake Farm a permanent agrivoltaic project for crop production around solar panels in Big Lake, Minnesota.
9/21/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Byron Kominek's Jack's Solar Garden in Longmont, Colorado, combines crop production and solar electricity generation to improve farm income and resilience under hotter, drier conditions.
8/9/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Byron Kominek launched Jack's Solar Garden near Longmont, Colorado, in 2016 to combine solar generation with agrovoltaic crops amid hotter, drier growing seasons.
7/20/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
University of Wisconsin-Madison began 2025 agrivoltaics research at Kegonsa to test solar panel spacing effects on crops, grazing, and land-atmosphere measurements in Wisconsin.
7/1/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Silicon Ranch is piloting cattle-grazing agrivoltaics in Christiana, Tennessee, using software-controlled solar panel angles to generate electricity and support livestock and farm income.
5/14/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Cornell University researchers modeled agrivoltaic solar panel tilts and configurations to show wind-sheltering designs can protect crops during extreme winds.
4/14/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Cornell University researchers used ANSYS Fluent CFD to show HSAT agrivoltaic layouts can reduce shelter-zone crop winds by up to 70 percent while maintaining ventilation.
3/31/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Belgian greenhouse growers are deploying solar panels, heat pumps, circular materials and peat alternatives in Flanders to reduce climate-related stress, emissions and resource use during the 2020s.
9/18/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Capital Power began operating Strathmore Solar in Alberta in March 2022, using multi-species grazing and a long-term soil-testing program to manage vegetation and land impacts under bifacial panels.
6/27/2026 • Markets & Industry & Innovation • General
Silicon Ranch plans agrivoltaics in Christiana, Tennessee, pairing solar generation with cattle grazing and using software-controlled panel angles to support animal access.
4/30/2026 • Markets & Industry & Innovation • General
Voltiris and Meier Gemüse installed filtered-light solar modules in spring 2025 at a Rütihof, Switzerland, greenhouse, where the system generated electricity and reduced tomato heat stress.
8/15/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
University of Bonn researchers surveyed nearly 2,000 adults in Germany and found higher willingness to pay for agrivoltaic solar than for conventional open-land solar parks.
7/6/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
University of Bonn survey results in Germany suggest agrivoltaics could gain more support than conventional solar parks for European solar expansion.
7/6/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Agrivoltaics advocates in the United States promote solar-on-farm deployment as communities add siting restrictions and solar grant support declines.
5/22/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Silicon Ranch installed a 40-acre agrivoltaics solar pilot outside Nashville in late April 2026, pairing cattle grazing with tracker-controlled PV generation for Middle Tennessee Electric.
5/21/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In central Illinois, Pivot Energy agrivoltaics sites use sheep grazing to manage solar vegetation while landowners seek income diversification and rural acceptance.
5/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Bryant Parker and Jessica Parker in Dunlap, Illinois deploy sheep grazing under a 7.1-megawatt solar farm to support agrivoltaics as Illinois expands community solar.
5/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In Illinois, a 7.1-megawatt solar farm uses sheep grazing under solar panels to manage vegetation, reduce erosion, and balance panel shading.
5/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Agrivoltaics advocates farm-first design and measurable dual-use standards to ensure solar pv co-location preserves agricultural value in China, the United States, Europe, and Japan.
5/16/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Silicon Ranch commercialized the CattleTracker agrivoltaics system at Christiana Solar Ranch in Tennessee, enabling cattle grazing under utility-scale solar and power purchases by Middle Tennessee Electric.
5/1/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Silicon Ranch launched a cattle-grazing agrivoltaics solar pilot in Christiana, Tennessee, using software-adjusted panel positions to generate about 5 megawatts and support pasture.
4/30/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
University of Seville and Polytechnic University of Madrid researchers tested agrivoltaic photovoltaic shading with regulated deficit irrigation for tomatoes in Madrid and Seville in spring 2024.
4/16/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Cornell researchers using computational fluid dynamics report that agrivoltaic solar panel row orientation and dynamic tilt can provide wind sheltering comparable or superior to natural windbreaks in farm settings in the USA.
4/4/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Michigan farmers and conservation groups are protecting farmland through easements while evaluating renewable-energy projects and agrivoltaics amid rising values and climate-related agricultural risks.
9/4/2026 • Adaptation & Resilience • General
In 2026, German farmer Josef Wimmer expanded an agrivoltaic pilot near Osseltshausen, Bavaria, using elevated solar panels to protect hops from heat and drought while generating electricity.
8/16/2026 • Adaptation & Resilience • General
Additional
Egyptian agricultural communities and partner organizations are currently testing agrivoltaic solar systems in pilot initiatives across Egypt to address water scarcity and rising temperatures.
8/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Egyptian farmers and research partners are testing agrivoltaic solar panels in South Sinai and other Egyptian sites to reduce crop heat and water stress while generating electricity.
8/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Egyptian farmers and partner organizations are testing agrivoltaic solar panels in South Sinai and other communities to reduce crop heat and water stress.
8/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Solar PV paired with farm production is expanding internationally, with U.S. policy changes in Illinois and Virginia and trials in France and studies in Italy and Brazil.
7/7/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General