agrivoltaics
Agrivoltaics is the practice of co-locating solar panels and crop production on the same land, leveraging the partial shading from photovoltaic arrays to modify the light, temperature, and moisture conditions experienced by plants. This dual-use approach has become an active area of plant science research, as scientists investigate how altered light spectra and reduced solar radiation affect plant physiology, growth rates, and yield. Understanding these microclimate interactions helps optimize both energy generation and agricultural productivity, while also exploring potential benefits such as reduced water stress in crops grown beneath solar installations.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-06-01
Growing shade-tolerant crops like ginger and turmeric beneath solar panels in rural Bangladesh boosted yields by up to 12%, while also generating renewable energy — showing that farmland and solar power don't have to compete for space.
Ginger and turmeric yields increased by 12.3% and 8.7% respectively when grown under solar panels compared to open-field plots.
Seven winter crops including tomato, onion, and garlic saw yield reductions of 10–20% under shaded conditions.
Scaling the pilot to Bangladesh's ~45 ha of solar irrigation pump sites could yield nearly 594 tonnes of ginger and turmeric worth approximately US$0.56 million per season.
