Economic Attractiveness of Agrivoltaics in Different Regulation Statuses – Case Study

The potential of PV installations on agricultural land has received significant attention. However, as PV adoption rates increase, competition for land is intensifying. This led some countries to regulate the use of agricultural land for PV installations, to avoid the reallocation of agricultural land for energy production. Agrivoltaics offer a distinct approach, enabling the dual use of land for both food and energy production. In this work, we assess the predominant economic significance of energy production in agrivoltaic projects, highlighting the possible imbalance between agricultural revenues and revenues generated by selling the electricity. Given the predominant economic significance of energy production in combined activities, concerns have been raised about the risk of favouring it at the expense of the agricultural activity. France, Germany and Italy have introduced national frameworks, standards, or guidelines in this regard to maintain the agricultural purpose of the land within these projects. They have established legal frameworks outlining the permitting conditions and financial support for different types of agrivoltaic systems. In this context, the competitiveness of agrivoltaics is evaluated in relation with existing support mechanisms for different use cases.