Agrivoltaics: The Science and Art of Balancing Solar Power and Agriculture
- Joshua Brock
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
A Brief History of Agivoltaics (and Why It’s Surging Now)
The idea dates to the early 1980s, when German researchers Adolf Goetzberger and Armin Zastrow proposed sharing land between PV and crops to ease land-use conflicts. Falling solar costs and climate urgency pushed the concept into pilots in the 2000s and serious demonstrations in the 2010s.
A landmark German trial at Heggelbach (Fraunhofer ISE) reported ~60% higher land-use efficiency (1) versus standalone farming by combining crop yields with electricity production—an early signal that “dual use” can pay off.
How Agrivoltaics Works (in Practice)
Agrivoltaics isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution — it’s a flexible set of design approaches that adapt solar installations to coexist with farming. The basic idea is simple: raise, tilt, or space solar panels in ways that allow sunlight, air, machinery, animals, and people to move through the same land where food or forage is grown. But in practice, several methods are used.
Elevated or “Canopy” Systems
Panels are mounted higher off the ground (6–15 feet) so that farm equipment, such as tractors and harvesters, can pass underneath. This design is popular for both vegetable and row crops.
Example: At UMass South Deerfield in Massachusetts, researchers utilize elevated arrays, allowing farmers to cultivate squash, peppers, and beans with minimal yield trade-offs.
Spaced or “Checkerboard” Arrays
Instead of lifting panels high, some systems spread panels further apart, leaving wide rows for crops or grazing. This allows more direct sunlight to hit the ground, making it suitable for crops that need higher light levels.
Example: In Pennsylvania, some dual-use projects lease land for sheep grazing between rows, where the animals control vegetation while the panels remain close to standard height.
Tracking and Adjustable Systems
Panels are mounted on motorized trackers that follow the sun, tilting and rotating to balance power generation with crop shading needs. Farmers or algorithms can adjust angles to protect crops during heatwaves or let in more light during cloudy days.
Example: The Sun’Agri vineyards in southern France use dynamic shading to protect grapes during extreme heat or frost events.
Livestock Integration
Solar arrays can double as shade structures for animals like sheep, goats, and cattle. Sheep, in particular, are well-suited since they graze vegetation without damaging infrastructure.
Example: At Lightsource bp’s Nittany 1 site in Pennsylvania, nearly 500 sheep graze under the panels, reducing mowing costs while generating revenue for a nearby Amish farmer.
Microclimate Management
Solar panels change the environment below them — reducing direct sunlight, slowing wind, and helping soil retain moisture. In hotter regions, this can benefit crops that suffer from heat stress, while in cooler or wetter climates, it may be trickier to balance moisture and airflow.
Example: Studies in Arizona found that peppers and tomatoes grown under panels had 65% less water stress compared to open-field crops.
Pollinator and Habitat-Friendly Designs
In some cases, panels are paired with wildflower plantings or pollinator habitats. This approach doesn’t produce crops, but it supports ecosystem services that benefit the surrounding farmland.
Example: Oregon’s Eagle Point Solar Project integrates pollinator-friendly plants, providing nectar sources while also improving soil structure and water retention.
Energy–Water Synergies
Emerging systems integrate irrigation infrastructure with solar arrays, sometimes utilizing the panels to collect rainwater or reduce evaporation in water-scarce regions. Floating solar (“floatovoltaics”) is even being tested alongside aquaculture.
In essence, agrivoltaics is about finding the right design for the right farm. A vegetable farm in Colorado may need elevated canopies, while a grazing operation in Vermont can thrive with standard-height panels and sheep integration. The “how” is flexible — but the goal is the same: producing food and energy together on the same footprint.
In hot, arid regions, the shade can reduce evapotranspiration and heat stress, sometimes improving water-use efficiency and stabilizing yields. University of Arizona field work, for example, found higher soil moisture and reduced plant stress under panels, with promising results for peppers and tomatoes. (2)
Where It’s Happening: Real-World Sites
We conducted a quick search with the help of ChatGPT and found numerous examples of agrivoltaics across the U.S. and the world. The list that follows is a fraction of both pilot projects and in-production sites.
Jack’s Solar Garden (Longmont, Colorado, U.S.) – A 1.2-MW community solar farm (3,276 panels) hosting one of the largest U.S. agrivoltaic research efforts, growing beans and other vegetables beneath 6-ft and 8-ft arrays and informing national best practices. NREL
Heggelbach Pilot (Lake Constance, Germany) – Elevated arrays above field crops demonstrated that total land productivity can climb when energy plus crop outputs are considered together. Fraunhofer ISE
Lightsource bp at Nittany 1—An operational solar site near Penn State featuring rotational sheep grazing under elevated panels. A neighboring Amish farmer grazes nearly 500 sheep, blending sustainable land management, biodiversity, and farmer income. Lightsource bp+1
Sun’Agri Vineyards (Southern France) – Dynamic, sensor-guided canopies shade vines during heat waves and open on cool or cloudy days; growers report protection from extremes while producing power. Reuters
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield—In one of Colorado’s largest agrivoltaic experiments, panels are elevated 8 feet to allow tractors to work beneath, with plans to produce 30,000 pounds of vegetables next year from basil to zucchini. Local schools benefit from solar credits, while community centers receive the produce. The Colorado Sun
Eagle Point (Oregon, U.S.) – A pollinator-friendly solar site used for research on habitat and grazing, illustrating how co-benefits (pollinators, moisture retention) can be built into PV layouts. agrisolarclearinghouse.org | Yale Climate Connections
Josef Wimmer’s Hop Farm (Au in der Hallertau, Bavaria, Germany) - The pilot project, a collaboration between Wimmer and local solar technology company Hallertauer Handelshaus, was set up in the fall of 2022. The electricity generated at this farm can power approximately 250 households. APnews.com
Highlander Farm (near Pittsburgh)—In partnership with Pasa Sustainable Agriculture and GreenWorks, this Scottish Highland cattle farm is installing raised panels allowing grazing underneath. Rental agreements span 30 years, providing farmers with a reliable income and the option to restore the land after the lease. WVIA
The Policy Landscape: What’s Enabling Growth
As one might guess, covering a landscape with solar panels raises opinions, both for and against rather quickly. Regardless of which side of the argument folks find themselves on, there was a need from the outset to develop laws and ordinances at the local, state, and federal levels.
While farmers and researchers are proving agrivoltaics in the field, policy is what often determines whether these projects scale. Solar development intersects with land-use planning, agriculture preservation, and energy markets — meaning rules and incentives must strike a delicate balance. Supportive legislation can lower costs, protect farmland, and create clear pathways for dual-use projects, while unclear or restrictive policies may stall adoption.
Over the past decade, governments have begun to recognize agrivoltaics as more than an experimental idea. From state-level incentive programs in the U.S. to national frameworks in Europe and Asia, lawmakers are building guardrails that both encourage renewable energy and preserve working lands.
These policies vary widely — some focus on financial incentives, others on zoning reforms or land protections — but together they’re shaping the trajectory of agrivoltaics from niche pilot projects into a viable land-use model.
France’s 2023 “APER” Law – France adopted a national framework defining agrivoltaics and setting conditions to protect agricultural productivity and land values, while streamlining siting in “acceleration zones.” It also restricts conventional ground-mount PV on prime farmland unless compatible with agriculture, pushing dual-use designs forward. tse.energy | European Commission
Massachusetts SMART Program (U.S.) – The state’s flagship incentive provides base solar payments plus a $0.06/kWh adder for qualified Agricultural Solar Tariff Generation (dual-use) units, alongside evolving guidance to keep land in production. 2024 proposals aim to simplify participation while maintaining safeguards. UMass | AmherstMass.gov
Colorado Agrivoltaics Grants & Tax Relief (U.S.) – Colorado’s Department of Agriculture runs an Agrivoltaics Research & Demonstration Grant Program (now multiple cycles in) and, via SB23-092, offers a personal property tax exemption for qualifying agrivoltaic equipment (available 2024–2029) plus state grant dollars to jump-start projects. Colorado Department of Agriculture | FIC
Minnesota Habitat-Friendly Solar & New Agrivoltaics Bill (U.S.) – Minnesota pioneered a 2016 statute defining pollinator-friendly solar site management; an active 2025 bill (SF 2653) would explicitly fold agrivoltaic sites into these practices and expand support for grazing and crops under arrays. MN Revisor's | Officesenate.mn
Japan’s “Solar Sharing” Permitting (MAFF 2013) – National guidance in 2013 opened permitting pathways for agrivoltaics on all farmland categories under conditions (temporary conversion permits and continued agricultural output), enabling thousands of small solar-sharing farms. TIB Open Publishing | Renewable Energy Institute
Federal Research (U.S.) – DOE, NREL, and USDA-NIFA fund agrivoltaics studies (e.g., crop performance, grazing economics, habitat). While not an agrivoltaic-specific tax credit, the federal ITC/PTC can apply to PV equipment, and research programs like AFRI fund systems-level agricultural innovation that often includes dual-use. NRELNation Institute of Food and Agriculture
The Arguments For Agrivoltaics (Now With Evidence)
Let's take a look at both sides of the coin. First up, the arguments for the continued development and expansion of Agrivoltaics.
Dual Land Productivity
Measured gains in land-use efficiency at Heggelbach (Germany) and promising crop results in U.S. trials show that, for certain crop-climate-design combinations, the combined value of food + energy can exceed single-use outcomes. Fraunhofer ISE
Climate Resilience & Water
Shade moderates extremes and can increase soil moisture; Arizona field experiments have documented reduced drought stress and higher water-use efficiency for some crops under shade panels. Dynamic shading in France similarly protects vines from heat and frost. University of Arizona | NewsNatureReuters
Farm Economics
Lease payments or co-ownership of arrays diversifies revenue, while grazing (especially sheep) and pollinator habitat can reduce vegetation management costs and provide ecosystem services. Public programs (e.g., SMART adders; Colorado grants) help projects pencil. UMass Amherst | Colorado Department of Agriculture
The Arguments Against Agrivoltaics (What to Watch)
And now the flipside of the Agrivoltaics coin, the arguments against.
1) Higher CapEx & Complexity. Elevated racking, wider spacing, and bespoke layouts can raise costs versus standard ground-mounts; operations must choreograph tractors, harvesters, and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) teams around each other.
2) Crop & Region Fit. Shade-tolerant or heat-sensitive crops tend to do best; sun-loving grains may underperform. Results are site-specific—soil, humidity, panel height, and geometry matter—so pilots and agronomic monitoring are essential. SpringerLink
3) Equity & Land Tenure. Without careful policy design, benefits may skew to landowners with capital or to utility-scale developers; programs that condition incentives on continued agricultural output and local participation can mitigate this. tse.energy
Bottom Line
Agrivoltaics has matured from an academic concept into a toolbox of designs that can, in the right contexts, enhance land productivity, water resilience, and farm income—while accelerating the adoption of clean energy. Real farms, from Colorado to Massachusetts, are proving the model, and policy is rapidly catching up (e.g. France’s APER law, state incentives in the U.S., and Japan’s national permits). However, success hinges on tight collaboration between agronomy and engineering, crop-appropriate layouts, and policies that keep land genuinely in production.
How Farmbrite Can Help
Farmbrite and Agrivoltaics go hand-in-hand. Using your Climate Gauges, Farm Notes, and Custom Reports works to give you deeper farm insights.