agrivoltaic

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE) has launched Diveo GmbH to plan and construct different kinds of agrivoltaic facilities without focusing on specific technologies.

Next2Sun AG executives spoke with pv magazine at Intersolar Europe 2025 on the growing momentum of agrivoltaics. The company doubled annual installations to 40 MW in 2024, underscoring vertical PV’s value in markets like Italy, Germany and France.

Researchers in Sweden and Italy analyzed the economics of one-axis, vertical, and elevated PV systems for agrivoltaic applications, finding that overhead agrivoltaic systems may perform better the further south they are installed. The discounted payback period and levelized cost of electricity were also calculated and compared.

New research from France has compared the performance of agrivoltaics in Spain and the Netherlands and have concluded that the former – a dry region with high solar radiation levels – offer more technical advantages over the latter, which is characterized by abundant rainfall and lower solar radiation.

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, IEA PVPS provides a comprehensive overview of the recently released edition of the “Dual Land Use for Agriculture and Solar Power Production: Overview and Performance of Agrivoltaic Systems” report. The 91-page handbook was developed by IEA PVPS Task 13.

Volta Group and Richel Group have commissioned a photovoltaic greenhouse in France for kiwi cultivation.

Researchers in Italy have conceived new agrivoltaic modeling for agrivoltaics that includes crop yield response curves for multiple crops. Once the electricity production coming from the PV modules is also assessed, the performance metrics for the agrivoltaic system as a whole are obtained.

Fraunhofer ISE and German weather protection specialist VOEN Vöhringer are testing an agrivoltaic system that uses existing crop cover structures to support solar modules, eliminating the need for a dedicated mounting system.

Researchers at Cornell University in the U.S. have developed a novel optimization model for agrivoltaic site design and benefits, which was demonstrated using irrigation-optimization relative to economic and environmental goals.

An Italian startup supported by a group of scientists is developing a V-shaped agrivoltaic system that can reportedly find optimal application with bifacial modules and single-axis tracking. The proposed system configuration is claimed to reduce land use by 24 % compared to conventional setups.