Regenerative Agrivoltaics: Integrating Photovoltaics and Regenerative Agriculture for Sustainable Food and Energy Systems

Summary

This narrative review, published in the MDPI journal Sustainability, theoretically examines the merging of agrivoltaic systems — where solar photovoltaics and agricultural production share the same land — with the principles of regenerative agriculture, including soil restoration, biodiversity, and reduced synthetic inputs. The authors, based at Western University (Canada), assess the degree to which these two approaches are mutually reinforcing and identify the conditions under which their integration could yield compounded environmental and productivity benefits. The paper is conceptual in nature, synthesising existing literature rather than presenting primary empirical data, and maps out a framework for future research and practical implementation.

UK applicability

Whilst this review is global in scope, its findings are broadly applicable to UK conditions given growing UK policy interest in both agrivoltaics and regenerative agriculture; the UK's temperate climate and high solar panel deployment rates make dual-use land configurations increasingly relevant, particularly under the Environmental Land Management scheme framework.

Key measures

Land equivalent ratio; soil health indicators; carbon sequestration potential; energy yield; crop yield under panel shade; implementation pathways and compatibility criteria

Outcomes reported

The review examines the theoretical compatibility and mutual benefits of combining agrivoltaic systems with regenerative agriculture principles, identifying key challenges, opportunities, and implementation pathways. It likely reports on outcomes relating to land use efficiency, soil health, carbon sequestration potential, and energy-food co-production under shared land configurations.

Topic tags