Agrivoltaics and landscape change: First evidence from built cases in the Netherlands

Abstract

The need to advance energy transition has arisen from the global challenge of climate change. Shifts to renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, are crucial for reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change. The use of agrivoltaics—the combination of food and renewable energy production with photovoltaic technology—is gaining scientific attention. Agrivoltaics is a type of multifunctional energy landscape and thus reduces land use conflicts between energy and food production. However, while agrivoltaics has begun to proliferate at a global scale, the associated landscape changes have so far received little attention. This knowledge gap is critical, as there is clear evidence that landscape change often contributes to low levels of acceptance of solar power installations. To address this gap, this study examines landscape changes brought by agrivoltaic installations in the Netherlands. Four representative built cases were examined making use of key landscape change indicators extracted from the literature and fieldwork. The study revealed varying degrees of landscape change across the examined cases. Changes in the agricultural landscape pattern and openness emerged as prominent landscape changes. Changes in crop type and in historical linear landscape structures—often associated with the implementation of conventional solar power plants—were not identified. Policy attention to the siting and design of agrivoltaic systems in the landscape is needed to positively influence social acceptance of this relatively novel solution and thereby advance energy transition.