Today, more than ever, climate change and renewable energy are at the forefront of global attention amidst an ongoing energy crisis. As we navigate these challenges, there’s a growing emphasis on enhancing climate resilience in our food systems to address the escalating issues of hunger and malnutrition.
Enter agrivoltaic farming – a game-changing solution that focuses on addressing both energy and food security challenges. Imagine using the shaded spaces beneath solar panels to cultivate crops, transforming solar farms into dual-purpose lands that produce both energy and food.
 In this context, recent studies reveal that many crops flourish in these shaded environments. To make this possible, solar panels can be elevated or suspended, creating a perfect balance of light and space for plants to grow. Another innovative approach involves placing solar panels on greenhouse roofs, allowing sunlight and rainwater to nourish the crops below while still providing room for farm machinery to operate.
 Agrivoltaic farming not only optimizes land use but also paves the way for a sustainable future, where renewable energy and agriculture thrive together. This synergy could be the key to solving some of our most urgent global challenges.
 A research team from the Bern University of Applied Sciences and Agroscope, the Swiss Center for Agriculture, worked on studying the impact of solar panels on different types of agricultural land. They examined potato farming in Germany, apple orchards in France, and raspberry fields in Italy. In a two-year study near Lake Constance in southwest Germany, the researchers found that potatoes thrived when agrivoltaics were incorporated into the land use plan. The yields under the solar panels were above the national average for both years, according to the authors.
 Furthermore, sweet peppers, broccoli, and cabbage also performed well under solar panels. Tomatoes had mixed results, with one study showing increased production despite a 45% reduction in light, while others reported lower yields or changes in tomato colour. On the other hand, garlic, spinach, and basil saw decreases in their yields.
 The authors felt the need for further study on berries and fruits. In one Chinese study, rooftop strawberries benefited from shading, while 75% of shading of grapes grown under solar panels in northern Italy led to lower yields, primarily due to fewer grapes per cluster.
 All of this points to a new way of farming and shows the potential of sustainably producing the food we need in the future.
