Jiri Bim, EUSEW Digital Ambassador and Head of Permits and Agrivolta at the Czech Solar Association, reveals how Agrivolta offers Europe a practical way to accelerate the adoption of clean energy by combining solar power and agriculture.
Across Europe, the race to decarbonize energy systems often collides with land use concerns and slow permitting processes. Agrivoltaics offers a promising solution by combining solar energy generation with agricultural production on the same land. Drawing on my experience accelerating renewable energy approvals in the Czech Republic, I explore how agricultural power generation can support Europe’s clean energy transition while strengthening rural economies and energy security.
Agrivoltaics: a powerful tool for decarbonization
Europe’s decarbonization goals require rapid expansion of renewable energy while conserving land for food production and ecosystems. Agrivoltaics (the combination of solar power systems and agricultural activities) offers a practical way to address this challenge. By enabling the production of energy and food on the same land, agrivoltaics increases land use efficiency while contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Across the European Union, electricity demand is expected to increase significantly due to electrification in transport, heating and industry. Solar energy will play a key role in meeting this demand. However, public acceptance and land availability are often barriers to large-scale deployment.
The Agrivoltaic system demonstrates that the deployment of renewable energy does not have to compete with agriculture, but can support it.
Agrivoltaics could theoretically deliver hundreds of gigawatts of solar power capacity across the EU while using only a fraction of agricultural land, according to a study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center. In fact, agrivoltaxing around 1% of Europe’s agricultural land could potentially generate hundreds of terawatt-hours of electricity per year, demonstrating the scale of this opportunity.
Importantly, land area for agricultural power plants remains limited. Solar panels are typically placed high and spaced apart to allow agricultural production to continue beneath them. Therefore, for farmers, agrivoltaics can support adaptation to climate change and increase the resilience of agricultural systems, while at the same time providing an additional source of income.
Lessons from the Czech Republic
In my work on accelerating the renewable energy permitting process in the Czech Republic, agricultural power generation emerged as a key innovation. The country has historically faced regulatory barriers that have limited the deployment of solar power on farmland. Through collaboration between industry experts, policy makers, and farmers, a path to agrivoltaic legislation is emerging.
Key milestones include policy discussions on land use suitability, pilot projects to demonstrate agricultural benefits, and increased awareness among decision makers of the technology’s potential. These experiences show that a clear permitting framework and well-defined technical standards are essential to scaling up agrivoltaic deployments.
The definition of Czech agrivoltaics is relatively simple. It specifies the minimum structural height of the facility, defines the types of crops that can be grown under it, and ensures that agricultural activities remain the primary land use. The monitoring and management of agriculture is the same as in conventional agriculture.
Overall, the permitting process is similar to that for solar farms, but changes have been made to ensure that the land remains within the Agricultural Land Fund and continues to be used for agricultural production.
Initial pilot projects are already appearing. One of the most notable initiatives is being prepared in South Moravia, one of the Czech Republic’s main wine-producing regions. Czech energy company MND is developing a pilot agricultural power generation facility above a vineyard to test how elevated solar panels can coexist with viticulture.
This project will assess how partial shading provided by solar panels can protect vines from extreme weather events such as heat waves and hail while maintaining agricultural productivity. Such projects demonstrate how agricultural power generation works in practice and provide valuable experience for future developments.
Opportunities to expand across Europe
While the Czech case highlights regulatory evolution, the opportunities extend across the European Union. Several European countries have already demonstrated how agrivortax can support agriculture under climate stress. For example, France is trialling the installation of agricultural power generation facilities above vineyards to protect grape production from heatwaves, hail, and drought. The panels provide partial shade, stabilize the microclimate and reduce water stress on crops.
Similarly, a project in Italy is exploring agricultural power generation systems that combine solar panels with crop cultivation and livestock grazing in regions facing increasing water scarcity and extreme temperatures. Carefully designed systems can therefore provide multiple benefits, including reducing evaporation, protecting crops from extreme weather conditions, improving biodiversity and increasing land resilience. Across Europe, the agri-solar sector is expanding rapidly. Industry mapping efforts have already identified more than 200 agri-solar projects across Europe, demonstrating the growing momentum of the technology.
Sharing best practices across Europe can accelerate learning and avoid fragmented regulation. With a tailored approach, agrivoltaics can support the European Green Deal, strengthen energy independence and contribute to more resilient agricultural systems.
Recent EU policy developments increasingly recognize this opportunity. The European Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food, together with the associated EU Agriculture Strategy, emphasizes the role of renewable energy in supporting farmers’ income diversification and resilience to climate change. Industry initiatives such as SolarPower Europe’s AgriSolar Guidelines are also helping to define best practices for combining agriculture and solar energy.
Accelerate your transition
Three priorities are essential to unlocking the full potential of agricultural power generation.
First, the permitting process needs to become faster and more predictable. Clear guidance on agricultural power design and land use rules will help project developers and farmers move from concept to deployment more quickly.
Second, research and demonstration projects must continually assess agricultural performance, biodiversity impacts, and economic benefits. Evidence-based policymaking is essential to scaling technology.
Third, knowledge sharing between experts, policy makers and the public needs to be strengthened. As a digital ambassador for EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), I want to share my Central European experience and contribute to the broader European conversation on innovative renewable solutions.
Agrivoltaics is more than just a technological innovation. This presents a realistic path for Europe to accelerate decarbonisation while supporting farmers, strengthening energy security and using land more efficiently.
This opinion editorial was produced in collaboration with European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), the largest annual event dedicated to renewable energy and efficient energy use in Europe. #EUSW2026 is in its 20th year, once again bringing together a community of people interested in building a safe and clean energy future for generations to come.
Check out current calls and join.
About the author
Jiří Bím is Head of Permits and Agriculture at the Czech Solar Association, focusing on accelerating the adoption of solar energy and realizing agricultural solutions in the Czech Republic. He also works as a consultant for selected Czech companies developing renewable energy and battery storage projects. His work focuses on improving permitting frameworks, promoting innovative clean energy solutions and sharing practical experience that can support Europe’s decarbonization and energy security goals.
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