Recording of Tuesday, June 23, 2026 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 21:06 .

Viability and Challenges of Agricultural Photovoltaics

The agricultural photovoltaic (PV) sector shows significant growth, leveraging high-value crops across diverse markets such as Switzerland, France, and Italy. Economic viability relies heavily on market conditions and supportive regulatory frameworks, particularly the availability of subsidies. France's regulations impose challenges that impede solar deployment in agricultural settings, while Germany has developed policies to balance energy initiatives with agricultural preservation. Issues such as the classification of agri-PV as industrial land can hinder development. Successful implementation of agricultural PV requires close collaboration with farmers, ensuring their needs are met while maintaining agricultural integrity. Projects that incorporate innovative approaches, like aquavoltaics and sheep grazing, can enhance social acceptance, though visual impact remains a concern. Overall, as stakeholders adapt to regulatory environments and engage with agricultural practices, opportunities for sustainable energy solutions in farming continue to expand.

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Speaker

Talk of session: Unlocking Dual Land Use: Scaling Agricultural PV Through Viable Business Models

Agricultural PV has been moving from pilot to scale, combining food and power production while addressing land scarcity and climate pressure. Yet large-scale deployment is still constrained as it depends on clear policy frameworks, viable business cases, and proven system concepts. Taking inspiration from global developments, this session explores Europe's market potential, diverse applications from livestock to greenhouses, and the economic drivers shaping profitable agriculturalPV projects. This session will address: Agricultural PV outlook and key business enablers for scale-up Real-world case studies Progressive policy frameworks in major agricultural PV markets System design options and corresponding business model approaches Economic, technical and agricultural requirements for utility-scale projects

Further Talks of this session:

Intro + Kickoff: The Global Agrivoltaics Scale-Up: Potentials, Status and Key Business Enabler

Speaker

Jochen Hauff
Ambassador Agrivoltaics
Global Solar Council
United Kingdom

To Talk

From Gras to Sheep

Speaker

Emma Azeau
Senior R&D Advisor - AgriPower Initiative Leader
Statkraft
Germany

To Talk

From Sheep to Cows: Experience From a Cow-Pv Project in Germany and Its Potential in Europe

Speaker

Dr. Stephan Schindele
Agrivoltaics Expert
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To Talk

Fruit-PV: Agronomic Considerations and Solution Scalability

Speaker

David Schuppisser
Chief Commercial Officer
Insolight SA
Switzerland

To Talk

Crop-PV: 4 Years of Agronomical Study, and Utility-Scale Perspectives

Speaker

To Talk