By combining agricultural production and solar energy, agrivoltaics offers promising prospects in Switzerland, where the areas dedicated to agriculture as well as to renewable energy production are limited.
The competition for land use, the drop in electricity feed-in tariffs and regulatory uncertainties are putting strong pressure on the solar market in Switzerland. According to the Federal Office of Energy (OFEN), the share of photovoltaics in the country's electricity consumption exceeded 10% for the first time in 2024, reaching 11%.
Swiss production, by international comparison, remains modest. In 2023, the country ranked 10th worldwide for installed capacity per capita, with 711 watts per person. According to the Swiss Solar Market Barometer 2024, published by Swissolar, "solar energy production is expected to increase drastically in the near future, rising from 6 GW installed in 2024 to 32 GW in 2035." In this context, agrivoltaics, also called agri-PV, is seeking to find its place.
What exactly are we talking about?
Agrivoltaics consists of combining on the same surface an agricultural production (primary) and a photovoltaic electricity production (secondary), involving the sharing of solar radiation between these two activities. The challenge is therefore to guarantee a minimum level of electricity production without impacting agricultural yields.
After carrying out numerous research projects, notably in collaboration with Romande Energie and Agroscope, the pioneer Insolight has been offering agri-PV solutions since 2021, in Switzerland and Europe. "We conducted numerous tests on various types of crops and in different climatic conditions, notably in partnership with Agroscope. The specific needs of each crop in terms of radiation, as well as seasonal variability, must be integrated at the design stage," explains Laurent Coulot, CEO and founder.
Agrivoltaics therefore does not mean covering all crops with solar panels, but targeting those that can benefit from a microclimate modified by the installation of photovoltaic cells. This includes the reduction of solar radiation (shading), the modification of temperature or soil humidity.
Some concrete cases
Berry farming or vegetable growing can, for example, take advantage of shading to promote their growth. In hot and dry conditions, this could reduce the water needs of the plants. In general, agronomists study the threshold beyond which excess light no longer leads to an increase in plant photosynthesis. This threshold, called the "photosynthetic threshold," allows the photovoltaic potential to be assessed under given sunlight conditions.
"A regulatory framework will need to be put in place to support farmers wishing to develop agrivoltaic practices," explains Laurent Coulot, CEO and founder of Insolight.
Beyond shading, panels also provide effective protection against climatic hazards such as hail or frost. Replacing plastic tunnels heated by gas, which emit large amounts of CO₂, with solar panels makes perfect sense, allowing operators to benefit from decarbonized self-consumption of energy.
For arable crops, however, the passage of large mechanical machinery, whose dimensions vary depending on crop rotation, complicates the installation of such systems. In this context, solar panels could be arranged alternately with crops, acting as hedges that provide shade, beneficial to biodiversity development. It is also possible to combine solar production and livestock, but here again certain species are better suited to this model, such as sheep.
Creating a clear and incentive legislative framework
A detailed assessment of the impact on agricultural production is essential to prevent agrivoltaics from becoming a mere pretext for expanding energy production at the expense of agriculture, by reducing yields or favoring certain crops for purely energy-related reasons.
Laurent Coulot mentions other potential abuses, such as unusual speculation on land prices in certain countries, depending on their energy production potential. "A regulatory framework will need to be put in place to support farmers wishing to develop agrivoltaic practices. Based on clear and realistic criteria, this framework will encourage the implementation of projects that meet the requirements of all stakeholders," explains the entrepreneur.
All stakeholders must therefore be involved: farm operators, installers, energy companies, but also public authorities.
In this respect, legislators have recently taken up this practice. In France, a country faced with a real rush to install solar panels on cultivated land, a decree relating to the law on the Acceleration of Renewable Energy Production (APER), dating from spring 2024, now specifies the conditions for implementing agrivoltaic projects. The evolution is similar in Germany, where several amendments have recently been published to take into account the specificities of this practice, notably in the Renewable Energy Act (EEG).
Although some experts still lament a certain legal complexity resulting from the coexistence of several branches of law, sometimes divergent and uncoordinated (urban planning, environment, energy), they nevertheless welcome progress toward the definition of common indicators.
"Agrivoltaic installations do not harm the landscape if they were placed, for example, above crops currently protected by plastic tunnels or nets," writes National Councillor Rocco Cattaneo.
First advances in Switzerland
In Switzerland, National Councillor Rocco Cattaneo (FDP) submitted a motion in December 2022. In order to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles to the development of agrivoltaics, he proposed adapting art. 18 of the Spatial Planning Act (LAT). "Agrivoltaic installations do not harm the landscape if they were placed, for example, above crops currently protected by plastic tunnels or nets. It should also be noted that agri-photovoltaic installations are not fixed: their installation does not require cement and has no impact on the ground," the Swiss politician wrote.
Accepted by the Federal Council, the motion was finally integrated into the revision of the Electricity Act, approved by the people in the vote of 9 June 2024. It notably authorizes the use of agrivoltaic installations, provided that they have positive consequences for agricultural production, without specifying thresholds or concrete indicators.
While specialists welcome a step towards greater clarity, they regret the absence of quantified indicators that are essential to enable effective implementation by the cantons. "The clarifications brought by the law broaden the scope and are to be welcomed, but they do not specify objective, verifiable criteria, notably in terms of minimum height of installations or coverage rate per parcel. More detail would help shorten authorization times," says Laurent Coulot.
Faced with the colossal challenge of the energy transition and growing electricity needs, it is essential to integrate all available solutions. Far from being a miracle cure, agrivoltaics nevertheless contributes to the myriad of answers to this major challenge of our time.
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