Solar farms and strawberry fields: a growing trend in Europe
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Nicolas Etchelecu, a farmer in southern France, is transitioning his family’s strawberry farm by integrating solar panels into a new greenhouse.
In 2022, Etchelecu’s farm installed a 3,000-square-meter greenhouse with solar panels that automatically adjust to provide shade for the plants and generate electricity. This approach, called “agrivoltaics,” combines food production with renewable energy. While the panels reduce harvest yields by approximately 20% compared to traditional greenhouses, the added income from electricity sales makes the investment worthwhile for Etchelecu.
Other European farms are also adopting agrivoltaics. Farmers in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria are testing solar panels over raspberries, apples, potatoes, and chickpeas. Researchers are developing new panel designs, like vertical bifacial panels near Vienna, Austria, that allow farm machinery to operate underneath. Studies from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and Mendel University in Brno show that these installations do not harm crop or soil health.
Jiří Bím, a researcher from Czechia, believes agrivoltaics could generate up to 51 terawatts across Europe, far exceeding current electricity demand, but notes slow adoption due to a lack of awareness, grid connection delays, and complicated agricultural subsidy rules.
