Agrivoltaics offer mutual benefits across the water-energy-food nexus

August 07, 2020 | Case Study

The demand for water, food, and energy is continually increasing and regionally dependent as a result of various socioeconomic factors, which are related to a rising global population, rapid urbanization, and economic growth. The so-called water-energy-food (WEF) nexus denotes the complex interactions among these three sectors and is a central piece of sustainable development. Agriculture is the largest consumer of the world's freshwater resources, and more than one-quarter of global energy consumption is related to food production and supply. Within this context, the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure on agricultural land (a concept that is often denoted as agrivoltaics) is gaining traction due to its potential application to overcoming challenges across the WEF nexus.