A new multidimensional study from Western University suggests that the global implementation of agrivoltaics could increase annual crop yields by 1.8 billion tonnes, potentially feeding more than 2.1 billion people. By co-locating agriculture and solar energy production, this approach could generate over $1 trillion in additional global agricultural income while significantly reducing CO2 emission and water consumption. The research positions agrivoltaics as a comprehensive systems-level solution rather than a simple land-sharing concept, addressing critical global challenges such as food insecurity, climate stress, and economic vulnerability.
Researchers in Canada have conducted an extensive literature review to evaluate the broad impacts of agrivoltaics, a practice that combines farming with solar power generation. Published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, the study utilized a “Six Spheres” (6S) framework to analyze the technology’s influence on sustainability, soil–crop productivity, socioeconomic resilience, solar power generation, spatial efficiency, and species biodiversity.
The research team, led by Uzair Jamil, employed a systematic framework to screen nearly 1,600 studies published between 2018 and 2024. After a rigorous selection process, 88 high-quality papers were analyzed to synthesize the ecological and economic benefits of dual-use land strategies. The findings suggest that agrivoltaics offers a sophisticated strategy for resolving land-use conflicts by optimizing the same plot of land for both energy and food production.
According to the analysis, the partial shading provided by solar infrastructure can create a climate-buffering effect, which improves crop yields in many environments. Under optimistic, maximum-potential scenarios, the resulting increase in global agricultural output could strengthen rural economies and national GDPs by over $1 trillion. Beyond financial gains, the integration of solar infrastructure helps conserve water by reducing evaporation and lowers CO2 emission by displacing fossil-fuel-based energy.
While the researchers noted that these projections represent upper-bound scenarios rather than guaranteed forecasts, they emphasize that the potential for food security is immense. The ability to produce enough additional calories for over 2.1 billion people highlights the transformative power of agrivoltaics. By moving beyond technical innovation toward a holistic management strategy, the study concludes that agrivoltaics is essential for building a more resilient and sustainable global infrastructure.