Agrivoltaics
Also known as: agrivoltaic systems, agri-PV, agrophotovoltaics, solar sharing, dual-use solar
Agrivoltaics is the practice of using the same land for both solar power and agriculture: grazing sheep among panels, growing shade-tolerant crops beneath raised arrays, or keeping pollinator habitat under solar farms.
It addresses one of solar's biggest conflicts, competition for farmland. While agrivoltaics can boost some crop yields and reduce water use in hot climates, it usually costs more to build than a standard solar farm, and results vary by crop and climate.
Agrivoltaics, explained at three levels
At home
Think of a tall shade tree in a pasture: cattle graze beneath it while its leaves soak up sunlight above. Agrivoltaics does the same with solar panels. Panels are raised or spaced so sheep can graze among them, or so vegetables grow in the partial shade underneath. The same field produces electricity and food at the same time, instead of choosing one or the other.
At work
Agrivoltaics is the shared use of land for solar power and agriculture, through grazing, crops under or between panels, or pollinator habitat. Farmers earn a second income from solar leases while continuing to farm. Developers gain a way to build on agricultural land with less local opposition and fewer conflicts with farmland protection rules.
At home
Panels and plants affect each other. Shade reduces how much water evaporates from the soil and lowers heat stress on crops during hot spells, which can help shade-tolerant crops such as lettuce or berries. In return, moisture released by plants cools the air around the panels, and solar cells produce more electricity when they're cooler. Sheep grazing is the most common approach because it needs no change to standard solar layouts.
At work
Designs fall along a spectrum. At one end, ordinary ground-mounted arrays host grazing or pollinator planting with no structural change. In the middle, wider row spacing leaves room for farm machinery. At the far end, panels are elevated three metres or more so crops grow beneath them. Vertical bifacial panels in rows facing east and west capture light on both faces, and single-axis trackers can tilt to let more light reach crops. Taller structures and wider spacing raise costs.
At home
Plants need light, but many hit a saturation point beyond which extra sunlight does not help. Shade-tolerant crops lose little under partial shade, while sun-loving grains like corn and wheat usually lose yield. Results also depend on climate: shade helps in hot, dry regions and hurts in cloudy ones. In my opinion, agrivoltaics works best when the crop, climate, and panel design are chosen together, rather than putting panels up first and seeing what grows.
At work
Key considerations include land classification rules, such as Alberta's 'agriculture first' approach for prime farmland, insurance and liability for livestock and equipment, soil protection during construction, and contracts defining farming obligations over a 25 to 40-year project life. Standards such as Germany's DIN SPEC 91434 limit how much farm output a project may sacrifice. Measure both energy yield and agricultural output against baselines, since some 'agrivoltaic' projects involve little real farming.
Real-world examples
At home
Fatima visited a farm near Lethbridge, Alberta, where sheep grazed under rows of solar panels. The farmer explained that the solar lease provided steady income, while the sheep kept the grass down without mowing.
At work
Sophie is a project developer at a solar company working in Ontario farm country. To gain local support, her team designed an array with grazing and pollinator habitat and signed a contract with a nearby shepherd to manage the vegetation.
How it compares
| feature | Agrivoltaics | Conventional solar farm |
|---|---|---|
| Land use | Energy and farming together | Energy only |
| Build cost | Often higher | Lower |
| Farm income | Lease plus farming | Lease only |
| Community acceptance | Often better | Can face opposition on farmland |
Agrivoltaics trades some extra cost for land that does two jobs.
For analysts
When a solar project faces farmland opposition, agrivoltaics can be part of the solution. I'd budget for the extra design and operations work up front, and measure agricultural output so the claim holds up.
History & origin
German physicist Adolf Goetzberger proposed combining solar and farming in 1981. Japan developed 'solar sharing' in the 2000s, and French researcher Christian Dupraz coined the term 'agrivoltaics' around 2011 after studying land productivity. Research sites in Arizona, Colorado, and Europe found that some crops, such as lettuce and peppers, did well with partial shade, and panels stayed cooler over vegetation. France and Germany created rules defining agrivoltaic projects. In Canada, Alberta paused renewable project approvals in 2023 and introduced an 'agriculture first' approach in 2024, limiting projects on prime farmland unless they can coexist with farming. In my view, agrivoltaics turns a land-use fight into a design question.