Agrivoltaics — the practice of growing crops beneath elevated solar panels — is gaining traction globally as a solution to the land-use conflict between food and energy production. Bangladesh's smallholder farmers could benefit enormously from this dual-use approach.
Bangladesh faces a fundamental tension between its renewable energy ambitions and its food security imperative. With 170 million people depending on a land area of just 147,000 sq km — much of it flood-prone — the country cannot afford to convert agricultural land to solar farms. Agrivoltaics (also called agri-PV or dual-use solar) resolves this tension by elevating solar panels high enough above the ground to allow crops to grow beneath them, generating both food and electricity from the same land.
In an agrivoltaic system, solar panels are mounted on elevated structures (typically 2–4 metres above ground) with wider spacing than conventional ground-mounted solar. This allows sunlight to reach the crops below — either directly through the gaps between panels, or as diffuse light that passes through semi-transparent panels. The partial shading provided by the panels can actually benefit certain crops by reducing heat stress, water evaporation, and soil moisture loss.
| Crop type | Shade tolerance | Agrivoltaic suitability | Potential yield impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leafy vegetables (spinach, lettuce) | High | Excellent | +10–30% in summer |
| Root vegetables (radish, carrot) | Medium | Good | Neutral to +10% |
| Legumes (beans, lentils) | Medium | Good | Neutral |
| Rice (Boro season) | Low | Limited | -5 to -15% |
| Fruits (tomato, chili) | Medium | Good | Neutral to +15% |
| Medicinal herbs | High | Excellent | +20–40% |
SREDA and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) have conducted pilot agrivoltaic projects in Rajshahi and Comilla districts, demonstrating that leafy vegetables grown under solar panels in summer show improved yields due to reduced heat stress. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has also studied agrivoltaic rice cultivation in South Asia, finding that carefully designed systems with 30–40% shading can maintain acceptable rice yields while generating significant electricity.
For a typical 1-hectare smallholder farm in Bangladesh, an agrivoltaic system with 50 kWp of solar panels could generate approximately 63,000 kWh per year — worth BDT 6,30,000 at the grid tariff. Combined with continued crop production (even at slightly reduced yields for some crops), the total income from the land increases significantly. Farmers can sell electricity through net-metering or to the local utility under the Rural Electrification Board (REB) framework.
Vvon Technologies is exploring agrivoltaic solutions for Bangladesh's agricultural sector. If you are a farmer, agricultural cooperative, or agro-business interested in combining solar energy with crop production, contact us for a consultation → or learn more about solar for agriculture →