IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i19p8625-d1758248.html

Current Status and Future Trends in China’s Photovoltaic Agriculture Development

Author

Listed:
  • Bingzhen Liao

    (College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China)

  • Yanbing Qi

    (College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China)

  • Wenhui Fu

    (College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China)

  • Mukesh Kumar Soothar

    (College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China)

Abstract

China possesses abundant solar energy resources and remains heavily dependent on agriculture. The integration of photovoltaic (PV) power generation with agricultural production has emerged as a strategic pathway to advance China’s ecological transition and dual carbon goals. By 2023, PV power generation represented 21% of the nation’s total installed capacity. The cumulative capacity was projected to reach approximately 887 GW by 2024. The novelty of this study lies in offering a systematic and integrative review of PV agriculture in China. This paper used a combination of field research, case studies, policy analysis, and a comparative evaluation of diverse “PV+” development models. The findings reveal a pronounced spatial imbalance. Western China possesses 42% of the country’s solar energy resources, whereas the eastern provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui collectively comprise 37.8% of all PV agricultural projects. Three dominant “PV+” models are identified and categorized as follows: “PV + ecological restoration”, “PV + agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries,” and “PV + facility agriculture.” These models provide multiple benefits. They enhance land use efficiency, stimulate local economic development, and contribute to food security by expanding the supply of essential agricultural products. Based on these insights, the study highlights future priorities in technological innovation, ecological evaluation, intelligent equipment, digitalization, and region-specific policy support. Overall, this research fills a key gap in systematically and comprehensively describing the current development status of photovoltaic agriculture in China. It also offers transferable lessons for sustainable agriculture and global energy transitions.

Suggested Citation

  • Bingzhen Liao & Yanbing Qi & Wenhui Fu & Mukesh Kumar Soothar, 2025. "Current Status and Future Trends in China’s Photovoltaic Agriculture Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-25, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:19:p:8625-:d:1758248
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8625/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8625/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Amaducci, Stefano & Yin, Xinyou & Colauzzi, Michele, 2018. "Agrivoltaic systems to optimise land use for electric energy production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 545-561.
    2. Ma, Yu & Wang, Yutian & Zhou, Xiangjun, 2024. "The impact of green finance on the development of the non-hydro renewable energy industry: An empirical study based on data from 30 provinces in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    3. Yu, Zhe & Chen, Cuiying & Lou, Duo & Jiang, Jingjing & Ye, Bin, 2025. "Energy-economy-environment evaluation of building-integrated photovoltaic considering facade factors for representative megacities in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 389(C).
    4. Li, Changsheng & Wang, Haiyu & Miao, Hong & Ye, Bin, 2017. "The economic and social performance of integrated photovoltaic and agricultural greenhouses systems: Case study in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 204-212.
    5. Yingyue Li & Hongjun Li & Rui Miao & He Qi & Yi Zhang, 2023. "Energy–Environment–Economy (3E) Analysis of the Performance of Introducing Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Systems into Residential Buildings: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-25, June.
    6. Li, Jiaxin & Wang, Zihan & Cheng, Xin & Shuai, Jing & Shuai, Chuanmin & Liu, Jing, 2020. "Has solar PV achieved the national poverty alleviation goals? Empirical evidence from the performances of 52 villages in rural China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    7. Gorjian, Shiva & Bousi, Erion & Özdemir, Özal Emre & Trommsdorff, Max & Kumar, Nallapaneni Manoj & Anand, Abhishek & Kant, Karunesh & Chopra, Shauhrat S., 2022. "Progress and challenges of crop production and electricity generation in agrivoltaic systems using semi-transparent photovoltaic technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    8. Rannels, James E., 1996. "The U. S. PV program: Now and the year 2000," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 72-76.
    9. Bai, Bo & Xiong, Siqin & Ma, Xiaoming & Liao, Xiawei, 2024. "Assessment of floating solar photovoltaic potential in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    10. Li, Changsheng & Shen, Bo, 2019. "Accelerating renewable energy electrification and rural economic development with an innovative business model: A case study in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 280-286.
    11. Xue, Jinlin, 2017. "Photovoltaic agriculture - New opportunity for photovoltaic applications in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-9.
    12. Lee, Sangik & Lee, Jong-hyuk & Jeong, Youngjoon & Kim, Dongsu & Seo, Byung-hun & Seo, Ye-jin & Kim, Taejin & Choi, Won, 2023. "Agrivoltaic system designing for sustainability and smart farming: Agronomic aspects and design criteria with safety assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 341(C).
    13. Cossu, Marco & Murgia, Lelia & Ledda, Luigi & Deligios, Paola A. & Sirigu, Antonella & Chessa, Francesco & Pazzona, Antonio, 2014. "Solar radiation distribution inside a greenhouse with south-oriented photovoltaic roofs and effects on crop productivity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 89-100.
    14. Zhang, Yuhu & Ren, Jing & Pu, Yanru & Wang, Peng, 2020. "Solar energy potential assessment: A framework to integrate geographic, technological, and economic indices for a potential analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 577-586.
    15. Dinesh, Harshavardhan & Pearce, Joshua M., 2016. "The potential of agrivoltaic systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 299-308.
    16. Myong, Seung Yeop & Jeon, Sang Won, 2016. "Efficient outdoor performance of esthetic bifacial a-Si:H semi-transparent PV modules," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 312-320.
    17. Wenjie Zhang & Yuqiang Zhao & Fengcheng Huang & Yongheng Zhong & Jianwei Zhou, 2021. "Forecasting the Energy and Economic Benefits of Photovoltaic Technology in China’s Rural Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-22, July.
    18. Jaiyoung Cho & Sung Min Park & A Reum Park & On Chan Lee & Geemoon Nam & In-Ho Ra, 2020. "Application of Photovoltaic Systems for Agriculture: A Study on the Relationship between Power Generation and Farming for the Improvement of Photovoltaic Applications in Agriculture," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-18, September.
    19. Carlos Toledo & Alessandra Scognamiglio, 2021. "Agrivoltaic Systems Design and Assessment: A Critical Review, and a Descriptive Model towards a Sustainable Landscape Vision (Three-Dimensional Agrivoltaic Patterns)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-38, June.
    20. Yuzhe Qin & Qing Cheng, 2025. "Optimization Study of Photovoltaic Cell Arrangement Strategies in Greenhouses," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-28, January.
    21. Yao, Haoyi & Liang, Jingkang & Wang, Yunfeng & Li, Ming & Fan, Fangling & Ma, Xun & Xiao, Xin, 2025. "The influence of photovoltaic modules on the greenhouse micro-environment - A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Song, Chenchen & Guo, Zhiling & Liu, Zhengguang & Hongyun, Zhang & Liu, Ran & Zhang, Haoran, 2024. "Application of photovoltaics on different types of land in China: Opportunities, status and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    2. Kumdokrub, Tikumporn & You, Fengqi, 2025. "Techno-economic and environmental optimization of agrivoltaics: A case study of Cornell University," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 384(C).
    3. Cuppari, Rosa Isabella & Branscomb, Allan & Graham, Maggie & Negash, Fikeremariam & Smith, Angelique Kidd & Proctor, Kyle & Rupp, David & Tilahun Ayalew, Abiyou & Getaneh Tilaye, Gizaw & Higgins, Chad, 2024. "Agrivoltaics: Synergies and trade-offs in achieving the sustainable development goals at the global and local scale," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    4. Mamun, Mohammad Abdullah Al & Dargusch, Paul & Wadley, David & Zulkarnain, Noor Azwa & Aziz, Ammar Abdul, 2022. "A review of research on agrivoltaic systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    5. Amaducci, Stefano & Yin, Xinyou & Colauzzi, Michele, 2018. "Agrivoltaic systems to optimise land use for electric energy production," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 545-561.
    6. Gorjian, Shiva & Bousi, Erion & Özdemir, Özal Emre & Trommsdorff, Max & Kumar, Nallapaneni Manoj & Anand, Abhishek & Kant, Karunesh & Chopra, Shauhrat S., 2022. "Progress and challenges of crop production and electricity generation in agrivoltaic systems using semi-transparent photovoltaic technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    7. Widmer, J. & Christ, B. & Grenz, J. & Norgrove, L., 2024. "Agrivoltaics, a promising new tool for electricity and food production: A systematic review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    8. Gorjian, Shiva & Jalili Jamshidian, Farid & Gorjian, Alireza & Faridi, Hamideh & Vafaei, Mohammad & Zhang, Fangxin & Liu, Wen & Elia Campana, Pietro, 2023. "Technological advancements and research prospects of innovative concentrating agrivoltaics," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 337(C).
    9. Morice R. O. Odhiambo & Adnan Abbas & Xiaochan Wang & Gladys Mutinda, 2020. "Solar Energy Potential in the Yangtze River Delta Region—A GIS-Based Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-22, December.
    10. Jing, Rui & He, Yang & He, Jijiang & Liu, Yang & Yang, Shoubing, 2022. "Global sensitivity based prioritizing the parametric uncertainties in economic analysis when co-locating photovoltaic with agriculture and aquaculture in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 1048-1059.
    11. Chopdar, R.K. & Sengar, N. & Giri, Nimay Chandra & Halliday, D., 2024. "Comprehensive review on agrivoltaics with technical, environmental and societal insights," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    12. Vaverková, Magdalena Daria & Kousal, Martin & Kosakiewicz, Michał & Krysińska, Karolina & Winkler, Jan, 2026. "Agrivoltaics for sustainable land use: A critical review of synergistic and antagonistic effects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PE).
    13. Guarino, Stefania & Buscemi, Alessandro & Chiaruzzi, Christian & Lo Brano, Valerio, 2025. "Modelling and analysis of V-shaped bifacial PV systems for agrivoltaic applications: A Python-based approach for energy optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 389(C).
    14. Aikaterini Roxani & Athanasios Zisos & Georgia-Konstantina Sakki & Andreas Efstratiadis, 2023. "Multidimensional Role of Agrovoltaics in Era of EU Green Deal: Current Status and Analysis of Water–Energy–Food–Land Dependencies," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-20, May.
    15. Yano, Akira & Cossu, Marco, 2019. "Energy sustainable greenhouse crop cultivation using photovoltaic technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 116-137.
    16. Carlos Toledo & Alessandra Scognamiglio, 2021. "Agrivoltaic Systems Design and Assessment: A Critical Review, and a Descriptive Model towards a Sustainable Landscape Vision (Three-Dimensional Agrivoltaic Patterns)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-38, June.
    17. Alexander V. Klokov & Egor Yu. Loktionov & Yuri V. Loktionov & Vladimir A. Panchenko & Elizaveta S. Sharaborova, 2023. "A Mini-Review of Current Activities and Future Trends in Agrivoltaics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-18, March.
    18. Schindele, Stephan & Trommsdorff, Maximilian & Schlaak, Albert & Obergfell, Tabea & Bopp, Georg & Reise, Christian & Braun, Christian & Weselek, Axel & Bauerle, Andrea & Högy, Petra & Goetzberger, Ado, 2020. "Implementation of agrophotovoltaics: Techno-economic analysis of the price-performance ratio and its policy implications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    19. Lingjun Wang & Jian Chen, 2024. "Economic and Social Benefits of Aquavoltaics: A Case Study from Jiangsu, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-17, October.
    20. Daniel Matulić & Željko Andabaka & Sanja Radman & Goran Fruk & Josip Leto & Jakša Rošin & Mirta Rastija & Ivana Varga & Tea Tomljanović & Hrvoje Čeprnja & Marko Karoglan, 2023. "Agrivoltaics and Aquavoltaics: Potential of Solar Energy Use in Agriculture and Freshwater Aquaculture in Croatia," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-26, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:19:p:8625-:d:1758248. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.