Optimal Solar Tracking for Sustainable Crop Cultivation and Energy Generation in Agrivoltaics

The integration of agriculture and photovoltaic energy production has given rise to agrivoltaic technology, where solar panels are installed over cultivated land to enable simultaneous crop growth and energy generation. While this approach increases land productivity, it may also reduce plant light exposure, potentially affecting yields. This paper investigates the interaction between crops and photovoltaic modules, introducing a novel optimization-based method to balance light availability for crops with power output. We present the underlying mathematical model, leading to a nonconvex mixed-integer optimization problem, and then propose an approximate convex formulation with formally established error bounds. Numerical simulations using real-world data from an agrivoltaic site in Southern Italy are provided and analyzed.