Enhancing ecosystem services and biodiversity in agrivoltaics through habitat-enhancing strategies

Agrivoltaics offers a promising solution to the dual challenge of ensuring food security and expanding renewable energy infrastructure while optimising land use and bolstering climate resilience. This study addresses a research gap by evaluating habitat-enhancing strategies for agrivoltaics. Using the InVEST modelling framework, the effectiveness of these strategies on key ecosystem services - carbon storage, sediment retention, water retention, and pollinator supply – was assessed. Fifty-one utility-scale solar farms in North-Eastern Germany served as a hypothetical case study to analyse the potential ecosystem service benefits between habitat-enhanced and conventional farming practices in agrivoltaics. The Mini and Midi scenarios, aligned with the German agrivoltaic standard, integrated up to 15 % of habitat-enhancing elements in the field, while Maxi incorporated 22 %. Eco-Horticulture and Agriforst Orchard explored agricultural diversification by combining annual and perennial crops with habitat-enhancing features. Model results revealed significant ecosystem service gains compared to conventional farming practices: a 33–88 % increase in pollinator supply, 9–22 % in water retention, 7.5–20 % in sediment retention, and up to 8 % in carbon storage. Notably, the diversification approaches demonstrated exceptional potential to enhance biodiversity while providing income diversification for farmers. The study provides actionable insights for policymakers to scale agrivoltaics in line with countries’ biodiversity targets and inform future agrivoltaic standards, balancing renewable energy deployment, land use efficiency and biodiversity conservation, aligned with multiple SDGs. Integrating habitat-enhancing features in agrivoltaics could improve the aesthetic appeal of solar infrastructure, fostering public acceptance. Further field studies are recommended to validate outcomes in agrivoltaic-specific microclimatic conditions and refine strategies to local contexts.