Agrivoltaics

Wind turbines and solar panels in fields

About us

Our vision is to revolutionize food and power supply, through research, innovation and demonstrators that accelerate the exploitation, commercialisation and marketisation of agrivoltaics: co-locating crops or grazing with ground-, building- or glasshouse-integrated photovoltaic (PV) arrays. Solar PV’s flexibility enables integrated food and power systems that reduce carbon emissions, avert land and water shortages, produce food, improve energy security and protect biodiversity while making agriculture more sustainable and profitable in light of upcoming subsidy changes.

However, inadequate experience, understanding, and models of successful deployment within the UK and across other nations is preventing stakeholders and investors from progressing agrivoltaic deployments. Stimulating agrivoltaic development through demonstration stands to benefit the UK economy through regional agriculture and energy production, and through the concentration of skills, innovations, know-how and markets that can equip the UK for global leadership.

Theme lead

Professor Alona Armstrong

Professor in Energy and Environmental Studies

I am currently a Natural Environment Research Council Industrial Innovation Fellow and a Senior Lecturer in Energy & Environmental Sciences. I am in the Plant, Soil and Land Systems research group within and a core member of , leading the Agrovoltaics and Energy Decarbonisation themes.

My research focuses on the implications of the low-carbon energy transition on the local environment, including ecosystem function, properties and service provision. I use a range of desk, field, laboratory and modelling approaches to resolve understanding, taking a positive approach – we need to decarbonise energy supplies and there will be more land taken for renewable energy infrastructure but how can we do this whilst maximising environmental co-benefits? Working collaboratively with stakeholders from across sectors is central to my work. I look to use the understanding developed to inform policy and practice, with the underpinning aim of promoting the delivery of environmental benefits, beyond that of low-carbon energy, from the energy transition. Previous to my energy research, I focused on the response of peatland carbon cycling to land management perturbations.

Alona Armstrong

Members

Alona Armstrong

Professor Alona Armstrong

Professor in Energy & Environmental Studies

Centre of Excellence in Environmental Data Science, Energy and Environment, Energy Lancaster, Pentland Centre, Soil Plant and Land Systems

+44 (0)1524 510243 LG526a, Lower Ground, LEC 1
Samuel Taylor

Dr Samuel Taylor

Lecturer in Plant Science

Centre of Excellence in Environmental Data Science

James Taylor

Professor James Taylor PhD, FIET

Professor of Control Engineering

Doctorate Centre in Nuclear Engineering, DSI - Foundations, Energy Lancaster, Lancaster Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous Systems Centre, LIRA - Environmental Modelling, LIRA - Extreme Environments, LIRA - Fundamentals, Robotics and Control, TALOS

C16, C - Floor, Engineering Building
David Perez Ojeda

Dr David Perez Ojeda

Lecturer in Radical Co-Design

Energy Lancaster, Evaluation, Imagination Lancaster, Makers , Practices, School of Design, Social Design

Josiane Fernandes

Dr Josiane Fernandes

Lecturer in Marketing

WP D010, D - Floor, Management School