Double harvest: Vertical solar panels and crops thrive side by side

Imagine a field where solar panels and crops coexist – with no trade-off. It sounds like science fiction, but that’s precisely what researchers from Aarhus University have now documented in a full-scale agrivoltaic pilot project in the Danish countryside.

“Our measurements show that wheat and grass-clover mixtures grow just as well between vertical solar panels as in open fields. At the same time, the panels produce electricity in a daily pattern that better matches energy demand. It’s a win-win,” says Marta Victoria, lead author of the study and Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University.

Benefits on both fronts

At the test site in Foulum, researchers installed two types of bifacial solar panels: one traditional, south-facing tilted system, and one vertical, east-west-facing system. The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity per year – but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand.

At the same time, crops growing among the vertical panels showed no decline in yield.

“Even with some shade, the yield per square meter is almost the same. The crops  don’t seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection that they provide,” explains Professor Uffe Jørgensen from the Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University.

And because the panels only occupy about 10% of the field area, the combined system requires much less land than separate installations. “If we were to produce the same amount of electricity and food using separate land, we would need 18-26% more area,” the researchers calculate.

Leaner, cleaner and less intrusive

The vertical configuration comes with added technical and environmental benefits. The bifacial glass-on-glass panels require fewer materials, have lower CO₂ emissions, and reduce wind loads – all while maintaining compatibility with standard farming equipment.

But it’s not just the crops and climate that benefit.

The aesthetics of acceptability

To assess how these systems are perceived, the research team conducted an immersive virtual reality (VR) study involving over 100 participants. The result: Vertical agrivoltaics were rated significantly more positively than conventional solar parks.

“Participants liked the vertical panels better – especially up close, when they saw the land was still farmed. They also perceived vertical agrivoltaics as more innovative and environmentally friendly than conventional solar parks. ,” says Gabriele Torma, assistant professor at the Department of Management, Aarhus University.

Unlike conventional systems, which can appear flat and industrial, the vertical panels resemble modern hedgerows – blending into the landscape rather than disrupting it.

A roadmap for land-efficient, socially accepted solar power

The researchers hope their findings can inspire a more integrated approach to solar deployment in Europe and beyond. In a time of growing land-use pressure, climate targets, and energy needs, agrivoltaics offer a path forward – combining food security, energy production, and biodiversity gains.

Next steps include long-term monitoring across multiple crop cycles. But already now, the message is clear: We don’t have to choose between wheat and watts.

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The research is part of the Hyperfarm project (Hydrogen and Photovoltaic Electrification on Farm), which is funded by the EU's research and innovation framework programme, Horizon 2020, under grant agreement No. 10100082.

Collaborators: Aarhus University’s Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Department of Agroecology, Department of Food Science, Department of Management and iClimate, and DTU.

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