Renewable energies
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Can solar energy be combined with agriculture and livestock?
In the context of the energy transition, there are ongoing discussions about renewable energy and land use. Many wonder whether solar farms take up space that could otherwise be used for agriculture and livestock. But how much agricultural land is actually occupied by solar panels?
According to Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (MAPA), photovoltaic farms occupy only 0.2% of the country’s usable agricultural land. Since 2012, 82% of the 23,000 new ha dedicated to solar panels have been in dryland farming areas.
Solar farms occupy 0.2% of Spain's usable agricultural land.
The Spanish regions with the largest solar farms are Castile-La Mancha and Extremadura, with 11,460 and 11,349 ha, respectively. Eight provinces account for 63% of the total photovoltaic surface in Spain: Badajoz, Cáceres, Seville, Zaragoza, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Murcia, and Albacete.
Even in these regions, solar energy does not exceed 0.4% of agricultural land.
Solar farms by province
Area of solar farms by province.
As of November 2023.
Area of solar farms (ha):
0–200 ha (salmon-coloured):
A Coruña
Pontevedra
Lugo
Orense
Asturias
León
Cantabria
Burgos
Vizcaya
Guipúzcoa
Álava
Soria
Madrid
Segovia
Ávila
Huesca
Tarragona
Castellón
Gerona
200–650 ha (yellow):
Palencia
Salamanca
La Rioja
Navarra
Lérida
Barcelona
Valencia
Alicante
Jaén
Málaga
Islas Baleares (Balearic Islands)
650–1,100 ha (orange):
Zamora
Valladolid
Huelva
Córdoba
Almería
Granada
Islas Canarias (Canary Islands)
1,100–2,000 ha (red):
Guadalajara
Teruel
Toledo
Albacete
Cádiz
2,000–5,000 ha (burgundy):
Zaragoza
Cáceres
Cuenca
Ciudad Real
Seville
Murcia
More than 5,000 ha (dark brown):
Badajoz
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The reality of the land impact of solar farms
The Spanish Solar Photovoltaic Association (UNEF) states that solar energy and agriculture are not in conflict. Photovoltaic projects generate clean energy while integrating with agricultural and livestock activities, fostering a dual-use agrivoltaic model.
Additionally, José María González Moya, Managing Director of the Spanish Renewable Energy Association (APPA), emphasises that every renewable energy company must undergo an environmental review to assess land-use compatibility and the positive and negative impacts of installations. In cases where land use is not compatible—such as centuries-old oak or cork oak woodlands—environmental impact assessments do not allow solar farm development.
The Spanish Government aims to foster coexistence between the energy and agricultural sectors by promoting agrivoltaic technologies. These systems prioritise agricultural production while allowing solar energy generation on the same land.
What is agrovoltaics, and how does it benefit the primary sector?
Agrovoltaics or agrivoltaics is a land-use model that combines solar energy production via photovoltaic panels with agricultural activities on the same land.
Solar farms also help retain soil moisture and protect crops from direct sunlight, benefiting the growth of certain crops.
Beyond agriculture, other primary sector activities also share land and benefit from solar farm coexistence:
Agrivoltaics combines solar energy production with agricultural activity on the same land.
Sheep grazing among solar panels strengthens collaboration with local communities, especially shepherds and livestock farmers. Controlled livestock grazing helps manage vegetation and sustainably clear land.
Pollinators also find shelter in solar farms, benefiting biodiversity. As Eva Miquel, head of the Friends of the Bees Foundation, explains in the Endesa videopodcast Conexión a Tierra: ‘Having beehives among solar panels is beneficial primarily for beekeepers, as they can produce honey in a natural, pesticide-free environment. It also helps pollinate surrounding lands, as bees travel within a 3-km radius, bringing benefits to the entire area.’
Innovation in the primary sector
Shared land between renewable energy and agriculture can also serve as a testing ground for new techniques that modernise the sector and foster its integration with clean energy.
For example, Endesa and the Andalusian Institute for Agricultural, Fisheries, Agrifood and Organic Production Research and Training (IFAPA) are launching agrivoltaic pilot projects at the Las Corchas solar plant in Seville. This initiative promotes innovation to improve the profitability and sustainability of Andalusian agriculture.
In this context, Jesús Gil Soto, Head of R&D Projects at the National Agri-Food Technology Centre (CTAEX), explains that agrivoltaic pilot projects in crops adapt to each crop’s characteristics based on panel height, soil type, climate, and system design.
Shared land between renewable energy and the primary sector can also serve as a testing ground for new techniques that modernise the sector and foster its integration with clean energy.
Pilot projects and ongoing research aim to establish compatibility models between agriculture and photovoltaics. How do they achieve this? By studying systems that optimise both agricultural and photovoltaic designs efficiently and sustainably.
If only 1% of agricultural land were dedicated to agrivoltaics, solar energy combined with agriculture could meet global electricity demand, according to Nature.
Far from competing for land use, the integration of renewable energy and the primary sector presents an opportunity to create value for local communities and biodiversity.
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