Agrivoltaics: Synergies Between Agriculture and PV Technologies for Sustainable Development

Today, one of the greatest challenges for society is to achieve greater penetration of renewable energy sources in the electricity grid to meet global energy demand and fight climate change. Work is being done in this direction in many areas and renewables have grown rapidly in recent years, driven by policy support and sharp cost reductions for solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind power. One of the problems with solar PV, especially when it comes to grid-connected PV plants, is the large surface area required for their implementation, which can result in a land-use conflict with the agricultural sector.

The development of Agrivoltaic (APV) systems, which combine PV and food production on the same land area, can be seen as a solution to this conflict generating renewable electricity without taking resources away from farmland. The growth of Agrivoltaics is exponential and with that comes a great opportunity to explore sustainable solutions for the combined land use, under the definition of an optimal model of integrated management of the operation and maintenance activities of the PV power plant and agricultural enterprises.

This Research Topic aims to establish a common ground to provide solutions and best practices around Agrivoltaics. Academics, researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and professionals are encouraged to contribute. The following focus areas could be considered (not limited to):

• Opportunities for agriculture and the energy transition
• Policy and business models
• Social and economic benefits
• Best practices for the development of Agrivoltaic Systems
• Role of Agrivoltaics in Climate Change
• Technologies advances in Agrivoltaics
• Monitoring and communication
• Operation and maintenance
• Production predictability and dispatchability
• Self consumption
• Smart farming
• Efficiency and sustainable development