The 5 Cs of Agrivoltaics

Agrivoltaic Success Factors in the United States: Lessons From the InSPIRE Research Study

The InSPIRE team synthesized technical and non-technical insights from InSPIRE agrivoltaic field research sites from 2015-2021 to support i) appropriate deployment of agrivoltaic projects; ii) more successful research on agrivoltaics; and iii) more effective partnerships on agrivoltaic projects. The publication can be downloaded here and the outcomes are explored below.

Lessons learned are categorized into five primary themes, termed here The Five Cs:

C1

Climate

C2

Configuration

C3

Crops and Cultivation

C4

Compatibility

C5

Collaboration

C1

Climate, Soil, and Environmental Conditions

C2

Configurations, Solar Technologies, and Designs

C3

Crop, Seed and Vegetation Designs, and Management Approaches

The methods, vegetation, and agricultural approaches used for agrivoltaic activities and research.

Key success factors

Topic	Description	Agrivoltaic Application
Vegetation Selection	Appropriate vegetation species and cultivars that can thrive under agrivoltaic conditions in that location and do not shade panels are crucial to success.	All
Vegetation Establishment	Utilizing best practices for establishing vegetation will ensure preferred vegetation will thrive over undesirable species and reduce reestablishment costs if seeding is not successful.	Ecosystem Services
End-Use, Markets, and Distribution	Having a defined end-use or market for the sale and/or distribution of agricultural goods produced can affect farm economics and project viability.	Crop Production, Grazing

Research Considerations

Research Plot Size	The size of the research plot in relation to overall project size could influence the potential implications of research outcomes that are possible. Plot sizes that are too small could overlook impacts that are taking place throughout the project site.	All
Research Duration	Short-term (e.g., one year) studies can provide initial insights and certain types of data, but longer-term studies can provide more robust outcomes on vegetation performance that account for inherent variability.	All
Complementary Modeling and Validation	Linking field research data collection with modeling validation efforts can lead to improved quality and robustness of research activities.	All
Control Plot Design	Selecting appropriate control plot(s) for comparison can affect research takeaways and outcomes. Control plots could include vegetation-only and/or solar-only designs that should be representative.	All
Established Research Methods	Following established research protocols will improve the quality of the research and enable community-wide learning and sharing of results.	All
Common Metrics	Utilizing metrics that are relevant and meaningful across sectors and partners (e.g., landowners, farmers, academia) will lead to improved and higher impact research outcomes.	All

C4

Compatibility and Flexibility

The compatibility of the solar technology design and configuration with the competing needs of the solar owners, solar operators, agricultural practitioners, and researchers.

Key success factors

Topic	Description	Agrivoltaic Application
Sitewide O&M Plans	Vegetation management plans should be customized to the specific needs of the vegetation mix that has been used at a site.	All
Infrastructure Placement	The placement of solar technology infrastructure such as inverter boxes can interfere with worker and equipment access.	All
Farm Practice Compatibility	The design of the solar installation should be compatible with desired agricultural practices on-site, including the presence of people, animals, and machinery.	All
Prescribed Grazing Plans	Designing mechanisms for ensuring sites have the appropriate number of animals for the correct duration, while also maintaining animal health.	Crop Production, Grazing

Research Considerations

Researcher Access	The ability of researchers to readily and easily access the project site and their research plots can affect the likelihood of success. Restrictions based on the timing, duration, and frequency of access could negatively affect research.	All
Proximity of Site	If the research site is remote and far from the researcher’s base, this could limit the researcher’s ability to be on-site when needed as well as respond to any urgent situations.	All
Installed Research Equipment	Research equipment should be installed in locations that are clearly marked, safe from interference from O&M crews or people on-site, and in places that are compatible with agricultural activities.	All
Data Collection Compatibility	Research will be more useful and impactful if the data collection activities align with and are consistent with common agricultural techniques and timing, such as frequency of harvesting of crops.	Crop Production, Grazing
Crop Rotation Planning	Research plans on multiple year projects must consider crop rotation plans of commercial farming operations and the spatially varying location of crops within a field each year.	All

C5

Collaboration and Partnerships

Understandings and agreements made across stakeholders and sectors to support agrivoltaic installations and research, including community engagement, permitting, and legal aspects.

Key success factors

Topic	Description	Agrivoltaic Application
Understanding Multiple Priorities and Establishing Common Goals	Agrivoltaic projects involve multiple stakeholders from different sectors with varied priorities. Understanding these priorities upfront and establishing common goals is important to a successful partnership.	All
Clear Roles and Responsibilities	Agreeing to clear roles and responsibilities of each party up front can lead to more successful agrivoltaic operations and partnerships.	All
Information Sharing	Maintaining regular communication and establishing a mechanism to share relevant research insights, on-site O&M changes, or any other factors can help long-term partnerships.	All
Long-Term Ownership and Personnel Consistency	Solar developers of agrivoltaic projects are often different from long-term operators, and site ownership can change. It is essential for agreements to include persistence of research, agrivoltaic activities, and O&M practices even after ownership and personnel changes.	All
Compromises on Groundcover for Immediate vs. Long-Term Results	Some agrivoltaic installations can take multiple years to establish, which can be at odds with desires for more immediate results. Some companies might be hesitant to implement diverse seed mixes and supporting management practices fully due to uncertainties and lack of experience.	All
Farmer Bandwidth, Flexibility, and Adaptations	Recognizing farming activities might not be designed for academic research and data collection while being flexible in research approaches that can be adaptable to farmer realities can improve agricultural partnerships.	All
Community and Stakeholder Engagement	Early and extensive engagement and discussions with the local community regarding the goals and potential impacts of the project can improve overall project success and support.	All
Planning, permitting, and zoning	Aligning on-site activities with local regulations related to acceptable land-use activities is essential to conducting agrivoltaic activities.	All

Research Considerations

Communication and Signage	Having regular, clear communication pathways among the researchers, site operators and owners, O&M teams, and vegetation management contractors, including clear and legible signs to outline research areas, can help ensure research plots are not unintentionally damaged.	All
Cross-Trained Personnel	Ensuring researchers understand agricultural practices and solar energy basics, agricultural providers understand the research methods and solar energy basics, and the solar owner and operator teams understand research goals and agricultural activities, can help improve research outcomes and impact.	All

Topic	Description	Agrivoltaic Application
Ambient climate	The ambient climate, including temperature, solar resource, wind, and seasonality will be a primary driver of vegetation suitability.	All
Soil Quality	Soil quality will affect the success of vegetation growth and hydrology on-site as well as affect project risks and costs associated with stabilizing soils. Site grading as well as construction methods can affect soil compaction and topsoil quality.	All
Prior and Surrounding Land-Uses	Prior site uses and nearby land uses can affect vegetation on-site through drift of seeds, chemicals, wildlife habitat, insect populations, erosion, and soil quality.	All
Water Access	Water is required for agrivoltaic activities, both to support vegetation and animals; if sufficient water is not available through precipitation, procuring water access and supply will be essential.	All
Pest and Disease	The solar infrastructure could create conditions that lead to increases or decreases in disease or pest presence that can affect vegetation growth and animal health.	Crop Production, Grazing

Representativeness and Novelty	The degree to which the site’s design, vegetation management approach, and local characteristics are representative of future applications, or are novel explorations of agrivoltaic topics, can determine the impact and relevance of the research.	All
Nearby Land-Use Change	Changes in nearby land-uses, such as crop rotation between pollinator-dependent and non-pollinator-dependent crops on nearby farms, or land disturbances, can affect vegetation and insect populations.	All

Topic	Description	Agrivoltaic Application
Project Capacity	The capacity (MWdc) of the project can affect its financing opportunities and market, which could limit capital-intensive modifications to system design. The size can also affect the feasibility of certain agricultural activities, land-use change impacts, and permitting.	All
Panel Height	Panel heights, including bottom and top edges, can affect what vegetation and crops can grow, compatibility with workers, animal presence, and project economics.	All
Racking System	Racking systems can affect land available for agricultural activities; shading levels; compatibility with equipment, workers, and animals; and project economics.	All
Panel Spacing	Panel spacing can affect available sunlight, microclimate conditions, and worker and equipment access.	All
Row Spacing	Row spacing can affect available sunlight, microclimate conditions, and worker and equipment access.	All
PV Technology	The choice of PV technology (e.g., semi-transparent modules, bifacial modules, opaque modules) can affect available sunlight and microclimates that affect vegetation growth and project economics.	All

InSPIRE/5 Cs

The 5 Cs of Agrivoltaics

Agrivoltaic Success Factors in the United States: Lessons From the InSPIRE Research Study

C1

Key success factors

Research Considerations

C2

Key success factors

Research Considerations

C3

Key success factors

Research Considerations

C4

Key success factors

Research Considerations

C5

Key success factors

Research Considerations