Synergy-based crop suitability assessment for agrivoltaics: An easy-to-use traffic-light framework for temperate climates

Societal Impact Statement: Climate change and the growing demand for renewable energy are putting increasing pressure on land, as food production and solar power generation often compete for the same areas. In this study, we assessed which temperate-region crops are best suited for agrivoltaics, a technology combining farming and solar electricity production on the same land. We found that crops such as fruits and berries benefit most from agrivoltaics, while others, including some cereals and legumes, are less suitable. These results can help farmers, planners and policymakers make informed decisions, supporting climate-resilient agriculture, efficient land use and wider adoption of sustainable agrivoltaics.
Summary: Agrivoltaics, a dual land use approach, combines agricultural and solar electricity production on the same land. Despite the increasing global adoption of agrivoltaics, systematic assessments of crop suitability remain limited. We address this gap by combining qualitative and quantitative analyses (mixed-methods approach) first to identify key criteria of stakeholders to evaluate crop suitability in agrivoltaics and second to systematically evaluate nine major crop groups based on those criteria. We interviewed 17 stakeholders to identify four major criteria to assess crop suitability in agrivoltaics: need for protection (35%), shade tolerance (30%), economic efficiency (19%) and system design (16%). Crop groups were rated for shade tolerance and need for protection on a suitability scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high). Shade tolerance was quantified using data from a systematic literature review (65 studies, 342 data points). Need for protection against climatic extreme weather events (late frost, heat, drought, heavy rain and hail) was evaluated by 26 farmers and experts. As proxies for need for protection, we further analysed water footprints and contribution margins available from crop databases. The analysis identified fruits and berries as highly suitable (5), whereas C4-cereals and grain legumes' suitability is below average (2). Our findings emphasise the importance of synergy effects unique to dual land use systems such as agrivoltaics. The suitability of crop groups for agrivoltaics increases with their ability to leverage the synergy effects arising from physical protection against extreme weather events and microclimatic amelioration from shading. The suitability ranking of major temperate crop groups presented in this study can support future agronomic and policy decisions.