Solar farms and agriculture are often billed as rivals when it comes to land use. A new study supports a growing consensus that the opposite is true. 

Canadian researchers found that the partial shading provided by agrivoltaic systems – solar arrays with crops growing under them – can actually boost food production, while improving soil health and encouraging nutrient cycling. 

The benefits increase when the solar panels are not in use, the study found, meaning decommissioned solar farms could still provide an economic boost to farmers at the end of their working lives.

Using yield modelling, the study estimated that agrivoltaic shading could boost farm income from potato production by $3.9bn (£2.95bn) in Germany alone. Other studies have reached similar conclusions. 

“This agrivoltaic crop yield bump has been shown for dozens of other crops and solar panel combinations all over the world, including basil, broccoli, celery, corn, grapes, kale, lettuce, pasture grass, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and more,” lead researcher Prof Joshua Pearce from Western University, Canada, wrote for The Conversation.

The panels, he added, help mitigate climate extremes, such as heatwaves, “delivering meaningful value for farmers”.

Image: Lewis Clarke