As the Philippines expands its clean energy footprint, one innovation is helping farms maximize the use of the land they already have: agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics combines solar energy and agriculture. By combining food production and power generation on the same site, farmers, investors, and communities all stand to gain from land that works twice as hard.
This idea isn’t new, but its time has clearly come. With the growing demand for both energy and food, agrivoltaics provides the country with a practical way to balance sustainability with productivity. It’s a system that keeps farmland productive, reduces carbon emissions, and builds resilience against the challenges of climate change.
ACEN, a leading solar power company in the Philippines, is helping prove that this dual approach is possible.
What is agrivoltaics?
Agrivoltaics is using the same piece of land for farming and solar power generation. Instead of choosing between crops and clean energy, agrivoltaic systems make space for both.
Solar panels are installed at a height that allows sunlight and rain to reach the crops below. The result is a symbiotic relationship: panels provide partial shade that helps plants retain moisture and avoid heat stress, while the plants release water vapor that helps keep the panels cool. Research from the U.S. Department of Energy shows that this can even improve the panels’ efficiency.
How does agrivoltaics work?
The agrivoltaic concept is simple: build solar farms that can coexist with crops or livestock, rather than replacing them.
- Raised solar panels. Instead of placing panels directly on the soil, they’re mounted on structures tall enough for crops, animals, and farm equipment to pass underneath.
- Partial shading. Panels filter sunlight, creating cooler conditions that protect crops from extreme heat and reduce water loss.
- Dual land use. The same land produces both food and energy, improving overall productivity.
- Local energy supply. The electricity generated can power irrigation systems, greenhouses, or cold storage. Any excess can be sold back to the grid, adding another revenue stream for farmers.
Agrivoltaics essentially turns farmland into a multifunctional asset, feeding both people and the power grid simultaneously.
How solar energy supports agriculture
The relationship between solar energy and agriculture extends beyond shared land. Solar technology is already transforming how farmers manage water, crops, and livestock.
- Irrigation. Solar-powered pumps make irrigation more reliable and reduce diesel dependence.
- Greenhouses. Solar energy can maintain temperature and humidity for year-round growing.
- Crop drying. Solar dryers reduce spoilage and improve post-harvest efficiency.
- Sensors and automation. Solar power keeps farm monitoring systems running, helping farmers make better decisions on soil and water use.
- Livestock management. Solar systems can provide water and lighting in remote areas where grid access is limited.
Benefits of agrivoltaics
Here are some of the clear advantages of agrivoltaic systems:
1. Better use of land
Agrivoltaics can increase total productivity per hectare by up to 186%. By combining crops and solar energy generation, farmland contributes to two critical sectors instead of one.
2. Healthier crops, higher yields
Partial shading helps keep soil moist, reduces evaporation, and stabilizes temperature swings. In warm climates like the Philippines, this can make a noticeable difference in crop survival and quality, particularly during dry seasons.
3. Reliable income for farmers
Agrivoltaics provides a second income stream. Farmers can sell electricity, lease their land to energy developers, or utilize solar energy to reduce operating costs. This helps stabilize earnings in a sector that’s often affected by weather and market fluctuations.
4. Healthier ecosystems
The shaded areas beneath solar panels make farm work more bearable during peak heat hours, improving safety and comfort for workers while reducing the need for irrigation.
5. Lower costs and better working conditions
The shaded areas beneath solar panels make farm work more bearable during peak heat hours, improving safety and comfort for workers while reducing the need for irrigation.
6. Progress toward climate targets
By integrating renewable generation into agriculture, agrivoltaics contributes to the Philippines’ clean energy transition. It supports renewable energy sources in the Philippines while cutting emissions and promoting local food production.
7. Water conservation
Shade from the panels reduces water loss through evaporation and transpiration. For drought-prone regions, this can mean significant savings in irrigation.
Together, these benefits make agrivoltaics a compelling solution, not just for sustainability but also for economic efficiency and resilience.
Why agrivoltaics matters
ACEN has been doing implementing agrivoltaics within some of its solar projects in the Philippines since 2022. Through its agrivoltaics-based program, “Solar Gulayan”, five of its solar farms across the country have already harvested more than 13,500 kilos of crops since the pilot farming system started in 2022. As the solar farms generate an aggregate renewables capacity of 326 MW, the program ensures that available land within the solar plants are optimized for agriculture and food production.
ACEN has identified local farming organizations from their respective host communities to partner with and enhance the food supply chain, namely: Alaminos Laguna Consumers Cooperative (ALACCO) for Alaminos Solar and Zambales Millennial Farmers and Producers Association for Palauig Solar.
Through these partnerships, ACEN’s Solar Gulayan program is helping champion the communities as main stakeholders, as the company targets to scale up and replicate the project in its future solar projects across the Philippines.With its abundant sunlight and agricultural heritage, the Philippines is well-positioned to adopt agrivoltaics. The technology addresses two national priorities at once: food security and renewable energy development.
ACEN is also advancing resource efficiency through innovative practices such as solar grazing at its New England Solar project in New South Wales, Australia. Solar grazing is a sustainable land management approach where sheep are allowed to graze on vegetation beneath and around solar panels. This method supports both renewable energy generation and agriculture by reducing the need for mechanical mowing while maintaining healthy ground cover across the site.
The solar panels also create a unique microclimate within the solar farm, improving pasture conditions and providing more productive grazing areas for livestock. Since the initiative was introduced in 2023, more than 6,000 merino sheep have been grazing at New England Solar, with plans to expand the program further by bringing more sheep on site.
Projects that combine solar farms and agriculture can boost rural livelihoods, reduce energy costs, and lower carbon emissions. They also align with the country’s long-term climate goals and the growing appetite among investors for sustainable infrastructure.
References:
- U.S. Department of Energy, Solar Energy Technologies Office. (n.d.). Agrivoltaics: Solar and agriculture co-location. https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/agrivoltaics-solar-and-agriculture-co-location
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Climate Hubs. (n.d.). Agrivoltaics: Coming soon to a farm near you? https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northeast/topic/agrivoltaics-coming-soon-farm-near-you
- Ukpanah, I. (2025, October 14). Agrovoltaics: Solar energy for sustainable farming. GreenMatch. https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/agrovoltaics-solar-energy-for-sustainable-farming
