How to combine mechanized farming with agrivoltaics

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">An international study finds that successful agrivoltaic projects require farm-specific, holistic co-design that integrates PV layout with agricultural mechanization from the earliest planning stages. Without proper alignment between machinery, crops, and PV systems, agrivoltaics risk major land loss, lower field efficiency, and higher operating costs, undermining farm profitability.</span></p><p>An international research team has investigated how mechanized farming could be combined with agrivoltaics and has found that key for succes is a holistic, farm-specific co-design process.</p>
<p><span lang="en-US">&#8220;Our research addresses the integration of agricultural mechanization into agrivoltaic system design,&#8221; the research's lead author, Yuri Bellone, told <strong>pv magazine</strong>. &#8220;It highlights how early planning for machinery maneuverability is necessary to prevent the loss of cultivable land and ensure the economic viability of the agricultural component within agrivoltaic projects.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span lang="en-US">&#8220;We examined</span><span lang="en-US"> the often-underestimated challenge of developing agrivoltaic systems where agricultural mechanization is an essential requirement,&#8221; he went on to say. &#8220;This underestimation of designing a proper mechanization strategy may results in insufficient available space, hindering machinery maneuverability and leading to a significant loss of cultivable land. When land cannot be processed effectively with standard machinery, specifically for tasks such as soil tillage and crop harvesting, the profitability of the agricultural activity within the agrivoltaic system is negatively impacted.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span><div class="callout alignnone "><div class="callout-body"> </span>Want to learn more about the <strong>EPC challenges in European agrivoltaics?</strong></p>
<p>Join us on March 5 for the <a href="https://www.key-expo.com/en/event-detail/Dual%20harvest%20double%20trouble%20Tackling%20EPC%20barriers%20in%20agrivoltaics%20design?eventId=6597197&amp;utm_source=email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=KEN26_Informativa_Eventi+imperdibili_ENG&amp;utm_term=Dual+harvest%2c+double+trouble%3a+Tackling+EPC+barriers+in+agrivoltaics+design&amp;utm_id=1097601&amp;sfmc_id=156250402" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Dual harvest, double trouble: Tackling EPC barriers in agrivoltaics design</a> pv magazine session <strong>in English language</strong> at KEY &#8211; The Energy Transition Expo in Rimini.</p>
<p>Experts will share insights on current agrivoltaic technologies, key design choices and the main barriers to standardized, scalable dual‑use projects in Europe and Italy, including region‑specific EPC issues.</div></div>
<p><span lang="en-US">In the study &#8220;</span><span class="title-text"><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032125013346" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Agricultural mechanization in agrivoltaic systems: Challenges, adaptation, and possible advancements</a>,&#8221; published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, the scientists outlined</span><span lang="en-US"> the specific considerations required prior to designing an agrivoltaic plant to ensure the continuity of agricultural activity. </span></p>
<p><span lang="en-US">&#8220;While agrivoltaics systems aim to increase agricultural sustainability both economically and environmentally, the physical arrays divide land into sectors inscribed within PV rows. Each sector acts as an independent unit defined by the specific agrivoltaic typology, with varying spatial constraints,&#8221; Bellone further explained. &#8220;</span><span lang="en-US">Consequently, the horizontal length, intended as the available space for planting and tillage, and vertical clearance, within each sector becomes a primary design factor. A significant barrier is that agricultural machinery and implements are highly variable and typically designed for open-field agriculture rather than the constrained pathways generated in agrivoltaics.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-332225 aligncenter" height="195" src="https://www.pv-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Immagine-2026-02-05-180946-600x195.png" tabindex="0" width="600" /></p>
<p><span lang="en-US">To address this, farmers must plan the mechanization fleet in alignment with the entire crop rotation intended for the specific farm. &#8220;This planning is complicated when relying on third-party contractors, who may utilize machinery not perfectly suited for maximum efficiency within each specific agrivoltaic plant,&#8221; Bellone emphasized. &#8220;However, the research notes exceptions, such as machinery designed for viticulture and trellis systems, which hold potential for adaptation within denser agrivoltaic patterns.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>The researchers also noted that, when widely spaced PV arrays are used, buffer zones alone can cause up to 30% land loss. Moreover, they emphasized that, under agrivoltaic systems, mechanized field operations are also less efficient, with efficiency potentially falling to about 45% due to slower working speeds and poor alignment between machinery width and available space.</p>
<p>They also recommended aligning machinery pathways with the PV system layout rather than the field’s natural orientation. &#8220;There is no universal solution that fits all possible agrivoltaic configurations and the optimal strategy for mechanizing agriculture in agrivoltaics depends on a nuanced interplay of PV, farm scale, crop selection, available machinery, third party contractors' availability for mechanized operations and company investment capacity,&#8221; they emphasized.</p>
<p>The group also explained that standardization is currently difficult to achieve given the vast heterogeneity in agricultural machinery, noting that project design may also have an impact on fuel consumption and operational costs of the machinery involved. For example, fuel use could rise because of operational inefficiencies, including increased overlap and more frequent turning, as narrower implements are often preferred in agrivoltaic systems compared with open fields.</p>
<p>Looking forward, the scientists intend to discover pathways to improve the operational efficiency and energy consumptions of agricultural machineries within agrivoltaic systems. &#8220;Advancements in precision agriculture technologies, including GPS-guided machinery and optimized route planning software, hold considerable promise for mitigating the discussed operational constraints,&#8221; they concluded.</p>
<p>The research team comprised academics from <a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/02/16/new-methodology-to-identify-suitable-land-for-agrivoltaics/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mälardalen University</a> in Sweden, as well as from Italy's <a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/12/08/agrivoltaics-for-biomethane/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Catholic University of the Sacred Heart</a> and the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA).</p>