Agrivoltaic Solar Systems
Agriculture Solar Designed Around Land, Energy & Production
Integrate solar generation with agricultural production to reduce energy costs, create new revenue opportunities and increase the productive value of your land.
Research Backs the Numbers
Australian research confirms it works. Wool production up ~15% in grazing trials. Grape quality improved in vineyard studies. Solar-powered feeders eliminating diesel costs on cattle properties. Whatever you're farming, the numbers work.
Agriculture Solar Is an Infrastructure Decision
The right agriculture solar system starts with the operation — not the panels.
Energy consumption, land use, livestock, machinery access, irrigation, network capacity, battery storage and future expansion all influence how an agrivoltaic solar system should be designed.
Sharp EIT brings together commercial solar engineering and emerging agrivoltaic technology to design systems around your operational and financial requirements.
The objective is straightforward: reduce operating costs, improve energy resilience and identify where solar can generate additional value from assets you already have.
Transparent Solar Panels
#Most Farm Solar Blocks Sunlight. Ours Doesn't.
Conventional solar can limit how productive agricultural land is used. Sharp EIT's transparent agrivoltaic systems generate solar power while allowing useful light to reach crops, vines and pasture below — helping maintain agricultural production while creating additional value from the same land footprint.
Light Transmission to Crops
Transparent agrivoltaic panels offer 2%–50% light transmission, allowing the system to be matched to different crop and growing requirements while generating solar power above.
Moisture Capture & Retention
Panel surfaces collect condensation and channel it back to soil — measurably reducing irrigation demand, a critical advantage in Australia's arid and semi-arid farming regions.
Hail, Frost & UV Protection
The overhead structure acts as a protective canopy — guarding vineyards, orchards and horticultural crops from hail damage, frost events, and excessive UV radiation.
Dual Revenue Stream
Generate solar power while maintaining agricultural production beneath and around the system. The same land footprint can support both energy generation and productive farming.
Microclimate Improvement
Panels moderate temperature extremes beneath — reducing heat stress for livestock, lowering water temperature in aquaculture ponds, and reducing heat stress in crops during peak summer.
One of Very Few in Australia
Transparent agrivoltaic panels for commercial agriculture are extremely rare in the Australian market. Sharp EIT is among the only providers offering this technology with full design and installation support.
Deployable Solar for Remote & High-Energy Agricultural Sites
For agricultural operations where permanent solar infrastructure or grid extension isn't practical, containerised solar provides a flexible, relocatable energy solution.
Designed for changing and remote energy requirements, it can support irrigation and pumping, livestock infrastructure, processing facilities, remote sheds and other high-energy agricultural operations.
- UP TO 140 kWp - Deployable solar generation
- 25 MINUTES - Rapid deployment or retraction once commissioned
- SOLAR + BESS - Integrate solar generation and battery storage
Commercial Solar Finance & Incentive Options
Choose to purchase upfront or explore flexible finance solutions through Sharp EIT's partnership with DLL. Combine available commercial solar incentives with finance tailored to your business, helping reduce upfront capital costs while your system starts delivering electricity savings.
Agricultural Solar Applications
#More Ways to Generate Value Across Your Agricultural Operation
The commercial opportunity differs across agriculture. For some operations, it’s about generating energy while maintaining productive use of the same land. For others, it’s reducing major electricity or diesel costs, or creating new value from underutilised assets.
Vineyard & Orchard Solar
Agrivoltaic systems designed around crop performance and energy generation
Integrate solar generation with vineyards, orchards and horticulture using systems designed around light requirements, heat exposure, irrigation, row spacing and machinery access.
Transparent and elevated systems can maintain productive growing conditions while generating electricity from the same land footprint.
Livestock & Grazing Solar
Generate energy while keeping grazing land productive
Solar arrays can be designed to allow sheep and other livestock to continue grazing beneath and around the infrastructure while the same land generates electricity.
This creates the potential to maintain livestock production, add energy value and provide additional shade during periods of high heat.
Fish Farm & Aquaculture Solar
Reduce energy costs across continuous-load operations
Aquaculture can have significant electricity demand from pumping, aeration, oxygenation, filtration, refrigeration and monitoring.
On-site solar and battery storage can be designed around these loads to reduce grid or diesel consumption and improve energy resilience.
Solar Irrigation Systems
Reduce electricity and diesel costs associated with pumping
Irrigation is often one of the largest energy loads on an agricultural property.
Solar irrigation systems can be engineered around pump capacity, operating schedules and seasonal demand to reduce purchased electricity and diesel consumption.
Cropping & Mixed Farms
Integrate energy generation without compromising production
Systems can be designed around machinery movement, irrigation infrastructure, crop requirements and existing land use.
Rooftops, available land and suitable dual-use areas can all form part of the energy strategy while maintaining productive agricultural activity.
Feedlots & Intensive Farming
Commercial solar for predictable, high-energy loads
Feedlots, dairy, poultry and other intensive operations often have large and consistent electricity demand.
On-site solar can offset energy used for feed processing, refrigeration, ventilation, pumping, cooling, lighting and environmental control, while battery storage can extend the use of generated electricity beyond daylight hours.
Meet Neil – Your Agriculture Solar Expert
Neil works with agricultural operators to identify where solar can improve the commercial performance of the operation.
That starts with understanding the site — energy use, electricity and diesel costs, irrigation, machinery access, land use, production requirements and future plans.
From there, Neil works with Sharp EIT’s technical team to assess where the opportunity sits: reducing operating costs, creating new energy revenue streams, improving the productive use of land, or combining several of these outcomes in one project.
Research & Evidence
#What Research Says About Agrivoltaic Solar
The science backs it. Here's what leading Australian researchers have found about agrivoltaic solar in Australian conditions.
University of Melbourne / AgriFutures - Pilot agrivoltaic trials at the Dookie Campus vineyard are testing solar panels providing around 27% additional shade for Sauvignon blanc vines — monitoring leaf temperatures, photosynthesis, water use and yield outcomes under Australian conditions.
Macquarie University - Transforming Energy Markets Research confirms solar panels provide shelter and microclimate benefits for sheep, encouraging healthier pasture growth and reduced lamb mortality, with wool production increasing by approximately 15% in grazing-under-solar arrangements.
Farm Renewables Consulting / AgriFutures - International studies highlight benefits for berries, tomatoes, leafy greens and grapes under solar panels, including improved sugar and alcohol content in grapes, increased soil moisture, reduced irrigation demand, and protection from heat, frost and hail.
#Get a Free Agriculture Solar Assessment for Your Farm
Tell us about your operation and we'll get Neil or a regional specialist to call you back. No obligation. No pressure. Just practical advice from people who understand both farming and solar.
#Frequently asked questions about Agrivoltaic Solar
Agrivoltaic solar — also called agrisolar — is the practice of combining solar panel energy generation with agricultural production on the same land. Solar panels are installed above crops, vines, livestock or aquaculture systems, allowing farmers to generate clean electricity while continuing to farm underneath. In Australia, this is especially valuable because the same land produces two revenue streams: agricultural output and solar energy.
Transparent agrivoltaic solar panels allow natural light to pass through the panel to the crops and plants below, unlike standard opaque panels which block all sunlight. Sharp EIT is one of very few providers in Australia offering true transparent agrivoltaic panels suitable for vineyards, orchards, and horticultural crops. These panels enable photosynthesis to continue while still capturing solar energy.
Agrivoltaic solar is suitable for a wide range of Australian farming operations including vineyards and orchards, cattle and livestock properties, fish farms and aquaculture operations, irrigated horticulture, mixed cropping farms, and feedlots. Research shows berries, tomatoes, leafy greens, and grapes particularly benefit from the partial shade provided by solar panels in Australia's hot climate.
Yes. International research and Australian pilot studies indicate that solar panels over vineyards can improve grape quality — particularly sugar and alcohol content — by protecting vines from excessive heat. The partial shade reduces heat stress during peak summer temperatures, which is a significant advantage in Australian wine-growing regions. Transparent agrivoltaic panels are specifically designed to allow the right spectrum of light through while providing this protection.
Solar benefits livestock operations in multiple ways. Solar-powered cattle feeders eliminate the need for grid or diesel power at remote locations. Solar shade structures reduce heat stress in cattle, with research suggesting improvements in welfare and productivity. Solar also powers electric fencing, water pumps, and monitoring systems across large properties. Research has shown wool production can increase by approximately 15% when sheep graze under solar panel arrays.
Sharp EIT offers multiple finance pathways for Australian farmers including agricultural finance and low-rate loans structured around farm income cycles, CapEx and lease structures with no upfront cost options, and government incentives including Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs). Farmers may also be eligible for state and federal renewable energy grants. In many cases, energy savings and grid export income can exceed finance repayments from the first month.
Yes. Solar is highly effective for fish farms and aquaculture operations. Solar panels can power aerators, oxygenation systems, water pumps, and monitoring equipment — dramatically reducing operating costs. Panels installed over ponds also reduce algae growth through shading and lower water temperatures during hot months. Off-grid solar systems are particularly valuable for remote aquaculture sites without reliable grid access.
A standard solar farm replaces agricultural production — the land is used only for solar. Agrivoltaic solar is specifically designed so farming continues at the same time. With transparent panels, crops grow beneath while solar energy is generated above. The farm doesn't lose productive land — it gains an energy and income layer on top of existing operations.
Yes. Sharp EIT works with farms in all states and territories including regional NSW (Hunter Valley, Riverina, New England), Queensland (Darling Downs, Granite Belt, Far North QLD), Victoria (High Country, Murray), South Australia (Barossa, Clare Valley), Western Australia (South West, Great Southern), Northern Territory and Tasmania. We understand regional farming — our assessments come to you, not the other way around.