Harvesting crops and generating electricity on the same land
How can food production and solar energy be combined on the same land, without one displacing the other? That question lies at the heart of agrivoltaics research. In 2025, EnergyVille researchers continued to develop integrated systems for dual land use, tailored to the operational and economic realities of farming and designed to deliver both affordable energy and additional
crop protection.
The focus is on standardised, cost-effective systems, with adapted photovoltaic modules, mounting structures, tracking algorithms, and suitable maintenance practices. Researchers pay close attention to the amount and distribution of light beneath the panels, using advanced models and ray tracing to analyse how those conditions affect
crop growth and yield. At the same time, they assess farm energy use and the economic feasibility of these systems.
In 2025, that research took a practical step forward with the launch of a free agrivoltaics web tool. It helps farmers, investors and policymakers better estimate the impact of an agrivoltaic system on crop yield, electricity production and financial viability. In that way, agrivoltaics is steadily moving from a promising concept to a practical solution.