On May 20, 2026, an agrivoltaic test facility was inaugurated on the premises of the Technical Faculty of the University of Freiburg. The project brings together research, innovation, and practical implementation in the field of renewable energy and sustainable agriculture.

The initiative is a collaboration between the University of Freiburg, Fraunhofer ISE, and ZEE (Center for Renewable Energy) as a partner within the University of Freiburg. In addition to generating scientific insights, the facility aims to raise public awareness and inspire curiosity about future energy and agricultural systems.

The project demonstrates how solar power generation and agricultural land use can be combined efficiently, contributing to the development of sustainable and climate-resilient energy solutions.

Agri-Photovoltaic test system on the premises of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Freiburg. Photo: Michael Spiegelhalter / University of Freiburg

Agri-Photovoltaics (Agri-PV) combines agricultural production with the generation of solar energy, offering an innovative approach to sustainable land use and renewable energy production. In the context of limited land availability and the challenges of the energy transition, Agri-PV is considered a highly promising technology for the future energy supply.

In October 2025, an interdisciplinary research group on Agri-PV was established at the University of Freiburg and is funded by the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) with €35,000 until December 2026. The FRIAS Project Group Agri-PV brings together researchers from biology, computer science, engineering, forestry sciences, and economics.

The project is carried out in cooperation with researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE) and supported by ZEE (Center for Renewable Energy) as a partner within the University of Freiburg. Together, the partners aim to advance research on innovative agrivoltaic systems and contribute to sustainable solutions for the future of energy and agriculture.

“Predominantly valuable about this project group is that the University of Freiburg and Fraunhofer ISE combine their competences in a targeted manner. Fraunhofer ISE provides application-oriented research, PV module technologies and many years of experience in the field of agri-PV, the university provides basic research from various disciplines. Together we can develop new technological solutions, explain the processes in plant growth in more detail and better understand the integration of Agri-PV into political and social framework conditions,” said the spokesman for the FRIAS project group Prof. Dr. Tim Krieger at the inauguration of an agri-PV test facility on the premises of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Freiburg on 20. May 2026.

The experimental facility was developed by the ZEE (Center for Renewable Energy) at the University of Freiburg under the direction of Prof. Dr. Moritz Diehl, who is also a member of the FRIAS Project Group Agri-PV. The site combines strawberry cultivation with solar power generation by growing strawberries beneath photovoltaic modules. Sensors monitor environmental conditions such as light, temperature, and soil moisture, comparing them with an unshaded reference area.

The facility serves both as a research platform and as a demonstration project for students and visitors. “Our goal is to explore how Agri-PV systems can combine ecology, agriculture, and sustainable energy production in ways that are both innovative and widely accepted by society,” says Diehl.