Agrivoltaics in NSW workshop report: investigating legal, policy, market and technological barriers

On the 13th June 2024, The Transforming Energy Markets Agrivoltaics Research Team held an expert invite-only workshop to investigate the challenges and opportunities of implementing agrivoltaics with expert participants drawn from landholder, regulator, industry, engineering and academia sectors. The aim of the workshop was to initiate the development of a responsive, collaborative approach to agrivoltaics by unpacking existing legal, policy, market and technological barriers. The workshop provided a background for an ongoing programme of agrivoltaics research at Macquarie University to create best practice research-led guidance for the development of a thriving Australian agrivoltaics sector. A number of outcomes and recommendations from the workshop emerged including the need to foster further multidisciplinary research, agrivoltaics specific guidance, and ongoing collaboration between the solar energy and agricultural sectors.

The aims of the workshop were to:
•understand the need for agrivoltaics;
•determine the best legal/policy/economic mechanisms to facilitate the up-take of agrivoltaics;
•develop recommendations for reform; and
•address the knowledge gaps detrimental to planning and implementing agrivoltaics.

These aims responded to the barriers have largely resulted from Australia’s slow adoption of agrivoltaic co-location as a feasible land use, in contrast to its ready acceptance and available regulatory guidance in international jurisdictions such as Japan, Germany and America.

Participants recognised the overall benefits of agrivoltaics, yet, determined that the extent of the benefits are dependent upon how the agrivoltaics project is integrated at the initial planning for a proposal in collaboration with the landholder and energy company.

Unresolved issues requiring clarification included:
1. the need to develop a legal definition of agrivoltaics;
2. create regulatory/policy/market incentives to invest in agrivoltaics;
3. identify the roles and responsibilities in establishing agrivoltaics (e.g., insurance risk sharing); and
4. develop best practice standards to guide, manage and monitor agrivoltaic developments.

An additional question to be confirmed was whether future regulatory and policy frameworks used for agrivoltaics in Australia need to distinguish between grazing and livestock agricultural activities, to that of cropping and horticulture agricultural activities. The workshop confirmed more research and regulatory guidance is needed to support the implementation of agrivoltaics in NSW to activate the benefits of this multifunctional land use for landholders and industry proponents.