Agrivoltaic Energy Systems: Co-Optimizing Solar Generation, Irrigation, and Grid Integration for Climate-Smart Agriculture

Land scarcity, water stress, and the need to triple renewable capacity by 2030 are pushing solar deployment into direct competition with food production. Agrivoltaics, the co-location of photovoltaic generation and crop or livestock activity on the same parcel, has emerged as a credible answer. Field evidence now shows that well-designed agrivoltaic systems can preserve or increase crop yields, cut evapotranspiration, lower panel operating temperatures, and produce energy with land-equivalent ratios above one. Recent advances in bifacial and semi-transparent modules, dynamic tracking, IoT-based microclimate monitoring, and machine-learning control have opened a new design space in which the array, the crop, and the grid are co-optimized. The science remains fragmented, however, split between agronomy, photovoltaics, water engineering, and power systems, and few studies treat the agrivoltaic plant as a single energy system.This Research Topic invites work that closes that gap by treating agrivoltaics as an integrated energy, water, and land system. We want submissions that move beyond proof-of-concept shading studies and address the technical, economic, environmental, and policy questions that decide whether agrivoltaics scales. Priority questions include how array geometry and module technology should be co-designed with crop physiology and irrigation demand; how agrivoltaic plants can deliver firm capacity, voltage support, and other ancillary services in low-inertia distribution networks; how data-driven control can balance crop yield, energy yield, and water use in real time; and how life cycle assessment, energy return on investment, and techno-economic modeling compare agrivoltaics with conventional dual land-use alternatives. We particularly welcome work that quantifies impact on Sustainable Development Goals 7, 9, 12, and 13, and that draws on field data from arid, tropical, and semi-arid regions where the food, water, and energy trade-offs are most acute. Comparative international and Global South case studies are strongly encouraged.The scope spans the full agrivoltaic value chain, from module and array design to grid integration, policy, and end-use impact. Contributions should sit in the technical, economic, social, or environmental domain of sustainable energy systems and connect to at least one Sustainable Development Goal. We welcome contributors to address themes such as:- Agrivoltaic system design, including bifacial, vertical, semi-transparent, and tracker-based configurations- Crop-specific shading, microclimate, and evapotranspiration modeling- Sensor- and AI-enabled adaptive irrigation and soil-moisture management coupled to PV operation- Integration with distribution networks, microgrids, and storage, including hosting capacity, ancillary services, and resilience- Techno-economic analysis, life cycle assessment, energy payback time, and energy return on investment- Policy, regulatory, land-use, and social-acceptance frameworks for dual land use- Field case studies from arid, tropical, and Global South contexts, including off-grid rural electrification Topic editors: Debomita Ghosh, Sonal S, Tien-Hsuan Lu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82883/agrivoltaic-energy-systems-co-optimizing-solar-generation-irrigation-and-grid-integration-for-climate-smart-agriculture