Agriculture

Agri-PV systems help farmers generate renewable energy, protect crops and maintain yields against climate pressures. This feature covers core technologies, planning strategies and top service providers.

Brussels policymakers and fruit growers who met near Bordeaux this year saw a sector ready to grow, provided regulation keeps agriculture firmly at the centre of every project.

Next2Sun argues that combining south-facing and vertical installations can expand connected capacity by around 60 percent while cutting infrastructure costs and improving market returns.

Providers, growers and researchers will convene at Château Gassies on 13 and 14 October 2026 to share the latest findings on combining crop production with solar generation across European conditions.

The Hanover trade fair, running from 10 to 13 November 2026 alongside EuroTier, will focus on the self-consumption of solar power by agricultural businesses and on agri-PV, with pv Europe's video team on site to take a look.

At the recent Laser Symposium Electromobility in Aachen, organiser Fraunhofer ILT and speakers from industry made the case for flexible lines and weld monitoring in markets where Asian scale offers less of an edge.

A 1 MW vertical agrivoltaic plant is now running in Portogruaro in the province of Venice, combining bifacial solar generation with cereals, soy, herbs and flowering plants between the module rows.

A new partnership between OIEH and AIAS aims to accelerate agrivoltaics deployment through shared expertise, joint conferences and coordinated proposals on regulation, drawing on Italy's established track record in the sector.

Two gold and six silver medals go to farm energy technologies, most of them in bioenergy. A timber-integrated solar roof takes the sole photovoltaics award ahead of the Hannover fair.

Conexio PSE has lined up three days of sessions on practical agri-PV for the 2026 edition, covering everything from the farm field to finance and planning rules.

In Saarland, Perigus Energy raised its modules just high enough for the estate's antlered residents to pass safely beneath them, with early results showing the herd has settled in well.

This special edition explores how farmers can use land more efficiently by combining agriculture with solar energy. It also covers technology, insurance and the shift to e-mobility in farming.

The agrivoltaics specialist is raising up to €5 million to fund a pipeline that includes more than 70 MW planned for 2027, betting its morning-and-evening generation profile gives it an edge over conventional solar plants.

Researchers at the University of Hohenheim found that barley, maize, potatoes and other sun-loving crops physiologically adapt to shading beneath solar panels, offering a new tool for crop selection.

A 20-hectare canopy of semi-transparent modules produced 1.85 million kilowatt-hours in year one, with farmers reporting stronger fruit quality under its shade.

Podcast (German): Valuable agricultural land can serve two purposes: as pasture or arable land and for generating clean solar power. Stephan Schindele has played a central role in industrialising agrivoltaics, both at Fraunhofer ISE and at BayWa r.e. He explains the advantages these systems offer farmers and where the pitfalls lie.

Four international banks are backing European Energy's 225 MW Vizzini plant, which combines utility-scale generation with animal grazing, positioning agrivoltaics as a bankable asset class in Italy.

High demand is already shaping up for EnergyDecentral 2026, and DLG continues to accept exhibitor applications ahead of the trade fair‘s opening in Hannover on 10 November.

Farmers rarely have time to master permits, mapping and grid procedures alongside the day job. Developers such as Hamburg-based Metavolt now handle the entire journey, from initial idea to completed installation.

Podcast: Elevated solar modules and solar fences let farmers generate clean power on pastures and arable land. Stephan Schindele has played a central role in industrialising agrivoltaics at both Fraunhofer ISE and BayWa r.e., and explains how agricultural transformation and the energy transition connect, benefiting farmers and investors alike, with several European countries already leading the way on large-scale projects.

Our new feature on solar energy for farmers explores the latest trends in agri-PV and how farms are using the sun to boost self-sufficiency. The special edition is available to download free of charge.

Free to download: This special issue highlights the dual use of land as a key aspect of the solar energy transition in agriculture. Alongside the latest technological developments, it also covers the emerging business models for solar installations on farmland.

Two new Agri-PV installations in Morcone and Acquafredda mark RWE's entry into the Italian market, with elevated tracker systems designed to shade crops while adding 19 MW of solar capacity to the grid.

The installation in Lodi is projected to outperform a comparable TOPCon-based system by more than 633 MWh over 30 years.

Configuring solar arrays around the light spectrum plants actually use can substantially raise energy yields while leaving crop growth unaffected, Australian researchers report.