Crop Compatibility with Solar Panels in Italy

How Partial Shading Affects Crops

Solar panels in an agrivoltaic installation intercept a portion of the incoming solar radiation before it reaches the crop. The proportion intercepted depends on panel coverage density, module tilt, row spacing, and the sun's position at different times of day and year.

For most crops, incoming solar radiation is not the sole or always the limiting factor for photosynthesis. In hot, dry Mediterranean conditions — which characterise much of Italy's main agricultural regions from June through August — water and temperature are frequently the primary constraints on yield. A reduction in direct solar radiation can, in those conditions, simultaneously reduce water stress and heat damage while only partially reducing photosynthetic activity. The net effect on yield depends on how the crop species responds to each factor.

Shade-Tolerant and Shade-Neutral Crops

Research conducted at Italian sites — primarily by CREA and by university agronomy departments — has focused on identifying crop species where partial shading does not significantly reduce yields, or where the combined effects on water use and temperature are sufficiently positive to compensate for reduced light.

Leafy vegetables and herbs

Leafy vegetables including lettuce, spinach, and chicory varieties are among the most-studied crops in Italian agrivoltaic contexts. These crops have lower light saturation points than cereals or tomatoes, meaning they reach maximum photosynthetic efficiency at lower light intensities than full summer sunshine provides. Partial shade can extend the productive season for these crops in hot regions by delaying bolting (premature flowering triggered by heat stress).

Aromatic herbs — sage, oregano, and thyme among them — have been included in Italian agrivoltaic trial sites in Puglia and Sicilia, where summer temperatures can limit productivity under full sun. Preliminary data from these trials is reported in CREA publications, though multi-year results across multiple sites are limited.

Soft fruit

Strawberry cultivation under elevated solar panels has been trialled at sites in Campania and the Po Valley. Strawberries are sensitive to heat stress during flowering and fruit set, and the temperature reduction beneath panels can extend the productive window. The panels also provide some protection against hail, which is a recurrent risk in northern Italian fruit production areas.

Viticulture

Several Italian wine-producing regions have explored agrivoltaic installation above vineyards. The interaction between solar panels and vine physiology is complex: grapevines are adapted to high light conditions, but excessive solar radiation during the ripening period can cause sunburn damage to grape berries and reduce fruit quality. Partial shading in high-irradiance years may reduce the risk of this damage, though effects on sugar accumulation, acidity, and aromatic compounds vary between vine varieties and vintages.

Installations in vineyards face additional practical challenges: the vine canopy management (training, pruning, and harvest) requires access at different heights and at different times of year, placing specific demands on the structural design of the panels above.

Crops Where Shading Presents Challenges

Not all Italian agricultural crops are straightforward candidates for agrivoltaic integration.

Sunflower and maize

Sunflower and maize are C4 plants with high light requirements. Both crops are significant in the Po Valley and in parts of central Italy. Research from European agrivoltaic trials — primarily German and French — shows yield reductions in these crops under partial shading. Italian-specific published data on maize and sunflower in agrivoltaic conditions remains limited as of 2026.

Durum wheat

Durum wheat, a major crop in southern Italy and the basis of Italian pasta production, is typically grown over winter and harvested in early summer. The overlap between the crop's grain-filling period and the installation's maximum shading period (when the sun is high and panels cast their smallest shadows) reduces the shading effect. Some trials in Puglia and Basilicata suggest limited yield reduction under moderate panel coverage, but peer-reviewed Italian data across multiple growing seasons is not yet extensive.

Water Use Under Panels

One of the consistently observed effects in agrivoltaic trials across different climates is reduced evapotranspiration beneath the panel canopy. Lower direct radiation and reduced wind exposure both contribute to lower water loss from the soil and crop surface. In water-limited regions of Italy — which includes large parts of southern Italy, where irrigation is a significant cost — reduced evapotranspiration can translate directly to lower irrigation requirements.

CREA monitoring data from PNRR-supported agrivoltaic installations in southern Italy includes water use measurements. The national guidelines require this monitoring as a condition of incentive eligibility for larger installations.

Specialty and Non-Conventional Crops

Some of Italy's documented early agrivoltaic projects used the partial shade environment for crops that specifically benefit from reduced direct light. The cardoncelli mushroom cultivation in Laterza, Puglia (pictured above) is one of the early examples in Italian literature. Mushroom species that grow in soil or in prepared substrates can be cultivated in conditions that are incompatible with conventional photosynthetic crops, using the space beneath elevated panels that might otherwise be unusable.

Saffron, which is cultivated in parts of Abruzzo and other central Italian regions, has been proposed as a candidate for agrivoltaic integration because of its low-growing habit and tolerance of shade in the early growth stages. Published trial data specific to Italy is limited.

Monitoring Requirements and Data

Under the GSE/CREA guidelines, Italian agrivoltaic installations above a certain capacity threshold must install instrumentation to record crop yields and soil conditions over the life of the installation. This monitoring data is submitted to a national database. The intent is to build an evidence base that can inform future guidance and permitting criteria as more installations enter operation.

As of 2026, the database is at an early stage. Most of the larger PNRR-supported installations authorised in 2023–2024 are still in their first or second growing season, and multi-year yield data is not yet publicly available from Italian institutional sources.

Crop category	Shade tolerance	Italian trial evidence
Leafy vegetables	Moderate to high	Limited published trials
Soft fruit (strawberry)	Moderate	Campania, Po Valley trials
Grapevine	Low to moderate (variety-dependent)	Early-stage trials in wine regions
Durum wheat	Low	Puglia, Basilicata trials (limited)
Maize / Sunflower	Low	Minimal Italian-specific data
Aromatic herbs	Moderate	Puglia, Sicilia sites