Agricultural mechanization in agrivoltaic systems: Challenges, adaptation, and possible advancements

Agrivoltaics (APV), the co-location of agriculture and solar energy conversion, represent a promising strategy for sustainable land use. Yet, its widespread adoption may be critically hindered by the challenge of fully integrating agricultural mechanization with APV structures. This review systematically analyses the compatibility between APV systems and mechanized open-field farming outlining the main spatial, structural, and operational constraints that influence machinery performance. The study examines how key APV design parameters affect field efficiency, machinery manoeuvrability, and operational overlap, and proposes analytical tools for assessing these interactions. The analysis reveals that field efficiency in APV can be substantially reduced dropping to as low as 45 % when the geometric relationship between implements working width and available operating space is poorly matched, and when turning or headland manoeuvres are restricted by APV obstruction. Additional factors, such as uncultivated buffer zones and dust accumulation due to mechanized operations on PV modules, further contribute to operational inefficiencies and potential operative costs increases. Literature indicates that buffer zones alone can cause up to 30 % land loss when large, interspaced PV arrays are adopted. Based on these findings, effective mechanization in APV systems, despite being challenging, is feasible through a holistic, farm-specific co-design process. Achieving optimal integration requires a careful alignment of APV layout with machinery selection and operational needs, underscoring the necessity for innovation in specialized equipment and advanced navigation systems to unlock the full potential of these dual-use systems. • APV systems pose key challenges to full agricultural mechanization. • Improper APV design can lower field efficiency to below 50 %. • Available cultivated land area in APV is reduced up to 30 % due to buffer zones. • Mismatches between machines width and row pitch causes inefficiencies. • Co-design is essential to align APV layout with machinery and crop operations.