Farming with solar: can agrivoltaics work for Australian agriculture?

Australia’s farming landscapes are under increasing pressure to remain productive while also supporting the transition to renewable energy. While large-scale solar projects have been successful in terms of economic return, they could interfere with existing food production. This raises an important question: can renewable energy be integrated into agriculture without simply replacing farming?

Example of an agrivoltaic system combining solar production with agricultural activities. Photo credit: South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub

Agrivoltaics may offer one possible answer. It involves using the same land for both solar energy generation and agricultural production, such as cropping or grazing. In theory, this could allow farmers to produce renewable energy, diversify income, and continue using land for agriculture.

However, the benefits of agrivoltaic systems cannot be taken for granted. These systems can involve higher upfront costs, specialised infrastructure, grid connection expenses, ongoing maintenance, and changes to farm management. They may also raise social concerns about farming identity, food production, landscape change, and whether local communities receive fair benefits.

The key knowledge gap is whether agrivoltaics is economically feasible and socially acceptable within Australian farming systems. This evidence matters for developers designing projects, farmers considering agreements, and governments planning the renewable energy transition. Australia still lacks the economic and social evidence needed to realistically assess agrivoltaics. Overseas experience is informative but not directly transferable; Australian farming systems, land tenure arrangements, and energy markets present their own conditions and challenges.

Research Project

Mithun Ghosh, PhD candidate.

Mithun Ghosh, a PhD Candidate in the Centre for Agricultural and Viticultural Economics (CAVE), is investigating the economic viability and social acceptance of agrivoltaics in Australia.

The PhD project aims to address this gap in two main ways:

• it examines the costs and benefits of agrivoltaic systems using Australian case-study examples, including projects in Western Australia and Victoria. This will help identify the conditions under which agrivoltaics may be financially viable compared with agriculture-only land use or conventional solar development.

• it explores how regional communities view agrivoltaics relative to other land-use options and which features of agrivoltaic projects may influence acceptance.

Agrivoltaics is unlikely to suit every farm or region. But with stronger economic and social evidence, it can be assessed more realistically. Mithun’s research aims to support better decisions about how renewable energy and agriculture can share land in ways that benefit farmers, energy developers, and policymakers.

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The PhD research project is supported by the ARC Training Centre for Behavioural Insights for Technology Adoption and Zero Net Emissions Agriculture CRC, and is supervised by Prof Marit Kragt, Dr German Puga, and Dr Claire Doll.

For more information:

PhD Candidate, Mr Mithun Ghosh: mithun.ghosh@research.uwa.edu.au

Supervisor, Prof Marit Kragt: marit.kragt@uwa.edu.au

ARC Training Centre for Behavioural Insights for Technology Adoption (BITA) website: ARC BITA

Zero Net Emissions Agriculture CRC: ZNE-Ag CRC