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Agrivoltaics is a relatively new concept of agriculture and photovoltaic power generation on the same area. While an increased land use efficiency and potential synergies between agriculture and power generation speak in favor of agrivoltaics, higher investment cost compared to ground-mounted photovoltaics represents a challenge for a broader market launch in most countries. This work analyses the economic performance of agrivoltaics in apple farming focusing on potential synergies and adverse effects regarding investment requirements and operational cost of the farming system. The analysis is based on literature, expert interviews, and data of three pilot projects in Germany. The results show that average investment cost from the farming system could be reduced by 26% mainly due to partially replacing the hail protection structure. Annual operating costs of the farming system reduce by up to 9% through lower cost for land and maintenance works. However, annual revenues also decrease by about 9% due to an expected reduction in high quality apple yield. Overall, the cost of apple production decreases by about 5%. Regarding the total cost of agrivoltaics, though, the potential contribution from cost savings in the farming sector to reduce the cost of electricity only amounts to <1%. The expected Land Equivalent Ratio of the analyzed agrivoltaic system amounts to 1.54. The results indicate that agrivoltaics in orcharding is only economically feasible if the regulatory framework provides sufficiently high feed-in tariffs or comparable support payments. The work also shows that the theoretical potential of agrivoltaics in apple farming in Germany amounts to 23.8 GWp which could contribute to 13% of the PV development required to meet Germany's climate goals by 2030 [1]. • Agrivoltaics can significantly reduce investment cost of an apple farming system. • Main driver of the cost reduction the partial substitution of the hail net system. • These cost savings are not enough to significantly reduce the overall cost of the agrivoltaic system. • The theoretical potential of agrivoltaics in apple farming in Germany amounts to 23.8 GWp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for food and renewable energy is increasing significantly, whereas the availability of land for agricultural use is declining. Agrivoltaic systems (AVS), which combine agricultural production with solar energy generation on the same area, are a promising opportunity with the potential to satisfy this demand while avoiding land-use conflicts. In the current study, a Consequential Life-Cycle Assessment (CLCA) was conducted to holistically assess the environmental consequences arising from a shift from single-use agriculture to AVS in Germany. The results of the study show that the environmental consequences of the installation of overhead AVS on agricultural land are positive and reduce the impacts in 15 of the 16 analysed impact categories especially for climate change, eutrophication and fossil resource use, as well as in the single score assessment, mainly due to the substitution of the marginal energy mix. It was demonstrated that, under certain conditions, AVS can contribute to the extension of renewable energy production resources without reducing food production resources. These include maintaining the agricultural yields underneath the photovoltaic (PV) modules, seeking synergies between solar energy generation and crop production and minimising the loss of good agricultural land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a combination of agricultural production and solar energy generation, agrivoltaics helps to mitigate land use conflicts. However, this requires the willingness of farmers to adopt the technology, as without them the dissemination of agrivoltaics is not possible. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate farmers' willingness to use agrivoltaics. An online survey among German farmers was conducted in February 2023. The dataset consists of 214 farmers. In order to answer the research aim, a factor analysis and a binary logistic regression were undertaken. The results show that 72.4% of the farmers would be willing to use agrivoltaics. The "perceived usefulness" of the technology has the strongest influence, followed by "subjective norm" and "innovativeness" of the farmer. For farmers, the most important function of agrivoltaics is the additional source of income and the future development of the farm. Furthermore, a lack of trust in the technology is not a barrier. The bureaucratic effort and the uncertain regulatory framework are a relevant hurdle, as is the more challenging agricultural processing of the land. Future efforts should focus on addressing these challenges to enable widespread adoption and realize the potential positive impact of agrivoltaics in the agriculture and energy sector. • Perceived usefulness of the technology has the strongest influence. • Important functions of agrivoltaics are additional income and development of the farm. • Barriers to the purchase are bureaucratic effort and uncertain framework conditions. • Lack of trust in the technology is not a relevant barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]