Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
186,125 studies31 sourcesUpdated 40 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BYCell Reports Physical Science

Evaluating land productivity with semi-transparent colored CdTe thin-film PV and broccoli cultivation in agrivoltaic systems

  • Silvia Ma Lu1
  • Arash Khosravi2
  • Xiaolin Wang2
  • Matthew Haworth3
  • Amirhossein Nik Zad4
  • Yuri Bellone4
  • Pietro Elia Campana1
4 affiliations
  1. 1Mälardalen University, Department of Engineering Sciences, 72123 Västerås, Sweden; Corresponding author
  2. 2Mälardalen University, Department of Engineering Sciences, 72123 Västerås, Sweden
  3. 3Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council (CNR-IPSP), 50019 Firenze, Italy
  4. 4Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Department of Sustainable Crop Production, 29122 Piacenza, Italy
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

Agrivoltaics, which combines solar photovoltaics with agricultural production, offers a promising strategy to address growing demands for food and renewable energy while reducing land-use conflicts. Here, we report the performance of semi-transparent, magenta-colored cadmium telluride photovoltaic panels designed to transmit wavelengths favorable for broccoli growth under outdoor field conditions. We evaluate two panel transparency levels corresponding to average photosynthetically active radiation transmittance values of 13.2% and 19.2% under the investigated designs. Although reduced light delays crop maturity by 25 days, broccoli grown beneath the systems achieves fresh biomass comparable to open-field plants, while increasing radiation use efficiency by up to 4.5-fold. Concentrations of most macronutrients remain unchanged whereas those of micronutrients decrease, indicating altered nutrient dynamics under modified light and microclimatic conditions. These findings showcase that the studied systems have the potential to sustain broccoli yield, while simultaneously generating renewable electricity, although further validation under a broader range of conditions is needed.

Related

  1. Consequences on energy and water exchanges of airflow modifications in agrivoltaic systems
    Joseph Vernier, Junni Luo, Jordi Badosa +3
    Energy NexusPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full text4 citedEnvironmental science & pollutionHAL
  2. Agrivoltaic systems can improve agricultural yield by mitigating extreme plant temperatures
    Joseph Vernier, Sylvain Edouard, Eric Dupont +3
    Agricultural and Forest MeteorologyPeer-reviewedCC BYFull text1 citedEnvironmental science & pollutionHAL
  3. Low solar grazing densities support beneficial insects in agrivoltaic systems
    Leana Zoller, Nikola Kochendoerfer, Antonio DiTommaso +5
    Environmental Research LettersPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textEnvironmental science & pollutionCrossref
  4. Reduced summer carbon dioxide efflux from semi-arid agrivoltaic compared to conventional horticultural soil
    Holly M Andrews, Fabiana Olea Carrasco, Alyssa Salazar +5
    Environmental Research LettersPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textHydrology & soilsCrossref
  5. Land suitability analysis for taro (Colocasia esculenta) cultivation based on topo-edaphic variables in a smallholder farming system
    Bheka Mlambo, Onisimo Mutanga, Trylee Nyasha Matongera +1
    Scientific ReportsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textEnvironmental science & pollutionCrossref

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{lu2026evaluating,
  title = {{Evaluating land productivity with semi-transparent colored CdTe thin-film PV and broccoli cultivation in agrivoltaic systems}},
  author = {Silvia Ma Lu and Arash Khosravi and Xiaolin Wang and Matthew Haworth and Amirhossein Nik Zad and Yuri Bellone and Pietro Elia Campana},
  journal = {Cell Reports Physical Science},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103555},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103555},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Evaluating land productivity with semi-transparent colored CdTe thin-film PV and broccoli cultivation in agrivoltaic systems
AU  - Silvia Ma Lu
AU  - Arash Khosravi
AU  - Xiaolin Wang
AU  - Matthew Haworth
AU  - Amirhossein Nik Zad
AU  - Yuri Bellone
AU  - Pietro Elia Campana
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
JO  - Cell Reports Physical Science
DO  - 10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103555
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103555
AB  - Agrivoltaics, which combines solar photovoltaics with agricultural production, offers a promising strategy to address growing demands for food and renewable energy while reducing land-use conflicts. Here, we report the performance of semi-transparent, magenta-colored cadmium telluride photovoltaic panels designed to transmit wavelengths favorable for broccoli growth under outdoor field conditions. We evaluate two panel transparency levels corresponding to average photosynthetically active radiation transmittance values of 13.2% and 19.2% under the investigated designs. Although reduced light delays crop maturity by 25 days, broccoli grown beneath the systems achieves fresh biomass comparable to open-field plants, while increasing radiation use efficiency by up to 4.5-fold. Concentrations of most macronutrients remain unchanged whereas those of micronutrients decrease, indicating altered nutrient dynamics under modified light and microclimatic conditions. These findings showcase that the studied systems have the potential to sustain broccoli yield, while simultaneously generating renewable electricity, although further validation under a broader range of conditions is needed.
SN  - 2666-3864
ER  -