With temperatures increasing and droughts intensifying, agrivoltaics will likely be beneficial to many crops. When plants are photosynthesizing, they reach what is called their “light saturation point”. At this point, the plant has used as much sunlight as it can and additional sunlight isn’t actually benefiting the plant; instead, it’s drying out the soil, making the plant thirstier and using up more precious water resources.
In an agrivoltaics setup, panels are placed to optimize the amount of sunlight reaching the plants. They can reach their light saturation point without undergoing additional light stress and requiring more water. Some studies have also shown that in agrivoltatic systems, plants can produce more fruit, especially when the season has been particularly hot or dry. It has been noted that plants in conjunction with Agrivoltaics produce larger leaves and spread out more to increase the surface area for photosynthesis.
In addition to keeping plants relatively cool during the day, the solar panels can also help keep them warm at night. The panels create a microclimate for the plants, resulting in temperatures more stable and similar to average daily temperatures to areas without solar panels.