Info­graphic: The Land­scape of Agri-PV

Agri­v­oltaics as a tech­nology is still new, but it shows poten­tial. What systems and frame­work condi­tions already exist, and what energy output can be expected?

Sources: Fraun­hofer Insti­tute, Inrae

Shade toler­ance, proven increase in yield

Reduc­tion in sugar content, protec­tion against drying out

Shade toler­ance, protec­tion against weather influ­ences

Protec­tion from sun and wind, retains water in dry periods

Elevated agri-PV panels are suit­able for allmost every field crop and are four to six meters high; the rods usually have to be concreted into the ground.

Source: TSE

Traffic and field work hardly affected

Even light Distri­b­u­tion

Heavier weight and higher instal­la­tion costs

Green­houses can be retro­fitted with panels. Semi-trans­parent modules are a good choice to prevent exces­sive shading.

Energy autonomy

Protec­tion against extreme temper­a­tures

Risk of yield reduc­tion for certain green­house crops

Ground-level systems are about two meters high, meaning they do not require a concrete foun­da­tion. Bifa­cial panels convert the radi­a­tion on the front and back into elec­tricity.

Source: Next2Sun

Wind protec­tion effect (prevents crop from lodging)

Light distri­b­u­tion cali­brated by height and row spacing

Lower instal­la­tion and main­te­nance costs

Limi­ta­tions for certain field equip­ment

Source: Fraun­hofer Insti­tute

Grid connec­tivity in rural areas shows room for improve­ment

Amor­ti­za­tion depends heavily on the current energy price

Current knowl­edge status insuf­fi­cient for effec­tive crop manage­ment

Scat­tered regu­la­tory frame­work across Europe

Complex approval process in many coun­tries

Impact on land­scape: Low accep­tance among the popu­la­tion

For example, the APV-RESOLA project recorded
a produc­tivity of

in wheat for the years 2017 to 2020.

Source: Fraun­hofer Insti­tute

Experts see improve­ment poten­tial through variety selec­tion and agri-PV-compat­ible farming prac­tices.
These are currently under devel­op­ment. 

For maize, a trial in Japan showed a yield increase of 5.6% under low-density PV systems.

Source: Takashi Sekiyama, Univer­sity of Kyoto 

The Channay Agri-PV demon­strator (bifa­cial vertical panels, France) recorded yield increases of 10 to 17% in cereals on soils with low yield poten­tial (2022, early and severe drying of surface soils). 

Source: Next2sun 

In France, the vinery Nidolères achieved 10 to 45% higher yields in different grape vari­eties.

Source: Sun’Agri 

Aggre­gated crop and energy yields reflect the produc­tivity gain of a plot.

Mixed use leads to a higher overall return and serves as risk diver­si­fi­ca­tion

  • Example: Grain yield at 80% and energy yield at 50% of the refer­ence area
  • Refer­ence area for ground-mounted PV
  • Refer­ence area for grain

  • Maximum area loss: 15% (ground-level systems), 10% (elevated systems)
  • Yield ≥ 2/3 of the yield average before panel instal­la­tion
  • Projected area of the panels: Maximum 40% of the field
  • Height and distance of the instal­la­tion must allow for traffic and safety condi­tions
  • Yield ≥ 90%, compared to a control zone
  • Since May 2024, ground-mounted PV has been banned across the board on agri­cul­tural land
  • Agri-PV remains permitted (as of June 2024); minimum height of panels: 2.1m
  • No spec­i­fi­ca­tion of yield targets, but oblig­a­tion to docu­ment.

Sources: DIN SPEC 91434:2021-05; legifrance.gouv.fr; terraevita.edagricole.it