The most common crops used in agrivoltaics are typically shade-tolerant vegetables and leafy greens, as these crops can thrive with the partial shading provided by solar panels. Specific crops frequently cited include:
- Leafy greens such as lettuce, kale, spinach, and arugula are very common because they prefer or tolerate shaded environments well and benefit from protection against harsh sun and water evaporation.
- Root crops like potatoes, carrots, radishes, and beets have shown promising results under agrivoltaic systems.
- Other vegetables that do well include tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, eggplants, green onions, chives, and asparagus.
- Some fruits and soft fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and redcurrants also thrive under solar panels with improved protection from weather and pests.
- Additional crops reported include peanuts, yams, horseradish, celery, coriander, parsley, kale, bok choy, fava beans, collards, peas, swiss chard, thyme, and even grapes and matcha tea leaves in some regions.
- Grasses, including native grasses and pollinator-friendly vegetation, are commonly used under solar arrays, often combined with sheep grazing, especially in the United States.
Agrivoltaics mainly favors crops adapted to partial shade conditions because solar panels reduce sunlight intensity. In contrast, full sun-demanding crops like cereal grains generally do not perform as well under these conditions.
In summary, the most common agrivoltaic crops are shade-tolerant leafy greens and root vegetables, complemented by various vegetables and some fruits, with site-specific adaptations observed worldwide. Grasses and pollinator plants also play an important role, particularly in grazing-based agrivoltaic systems.
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