The EU’s objectives are ambitious: The total solar energy deployment is to reach around 750 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. One way to solve this problem is a shift to dual land use, through agricultural PV in particular.
Agriculture or renewable sources of energy – in the past, it was either, or. Agricultural PV is a new, innovative approach offering promising options for agriculture and climate protection by joining agricultural production and the generation of electricity on the same surface.
European countries such as Italy, Germany and France subsidize agricultural PV to deploy more solar energy and reduce the competition for land use. In a recent example, as part of its first national agricultural PV tender, Italy is subsidizing 540 projects with a total 1.5 GW. Germany has introduced a separate auction segment in its Solar Package 1 with a top value for “special solar installations”, which includes agricultural PV, while France is considered a pioneer in terms of legislation.
Financing of agricultural PV plants through power purchase agreements (PPAs) is becoming increasingly popular, as evidenced by some initial projects in Granada (Spain) and France (Dordogne, Vienne, Hauts-de-France). In Pyhra, Lower Austria, a farmer partnered with a local renewable energy community to co-finance a 499-kilowatt agricultural PV system that covers berry fields.
The benefits of agricultural PV are clear: It reconciles solar power generation with agriculture and offers farmers the added value of protection against storm, hail, frost and draught. It also diversifies their income. Shading and wind protection provided by solar panels reduces evaporation, and innovative solar panels have been developed that also collect rainwater for irrigation. This can benefit farming operations by boosting their resilience against crop failure.
Intersolar Europe will be putting a particular focus on agricultural PV. Of the more than 1,450 exhibitors at Intersolar Europe 2025, some 70 exhibitors will be showcasing agricultural PV products and solutions and discuss the latest trends in this area. At the Intersolar Europe Conference, experts will explore the topic in depth in a number of sessions.