Image source: University of Leeds

The agriculture sector is comparable to the world’s backbone, actively nourishing human well-being with food, livelihoods and natural ecosystems. As production scales to meet rising demand, agrifood systems have also become a growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2022, the sector contributed an estimated 16.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, a 10% increase since 2000.

In parallel, the global push to decarbonise has accelerated the deployment of renewable energy like solar photovoltaic (PVs), intensifying concerns over land use and competition with agriculture. As countries look for ways to produce more with less, a fresh approach is now reshaping this narrative, combining solar panels and agriculture on the same land with agrivoltaics.

This model presents a timely opportunity in the nation’s journey to a more sustainable future

By integrating food production, biodiversity management, and renewable energy, agrivoltaics are redefining what it means to “farm in the sun”. For Malaysia, where land efficiency, food security and sustainability are increasingly interconnected, this model presents a timely opportunity in the nation’s journey to a more sustainable future.

Reimagining solar farms as shared landscapes

While suitable land for solar PV deployment is increasingly limited, innovation in siting has expanded well beyond open fields. Panels now line railway corridors in Switzerland, trace cycling paths in the Netherlands, and occupy former golf courses in Japan and the US, showing how renewable energy is being fitted into landscapes once shaped for entirely different uses.

In the same way, while solar farms are often perceived as single-purpose infrastructure solely for energy output, agrivoltaics challenge this assumption. PV systems are mounted at a certain height on agricultural land, and crop production or animal husbandry can happen underneath the elevated panels, for instance.

This increases land-use efficiency, as it lets solar farms and agriculture share ground, rather than making them compete against one another. Moreover, certain shade-tolerant crops like broccoli appear to thrive when grown in such environments due to more stable growing conditions and improved water efficiency, resulting in more consistent, high-quality yields.

Beyond crop farming, research from the US shows that grazing livestock such as sheep beneath solar panels can also enhance land productivity, reduce management costs, and improve soil health. In Australia, farmers grazing sheep under solar arrays have reported higher wool yields, as panels provide shade, shelter, and more resilient pasture conditions.

These findings highlight how solar infrastructure can actively enhance agricultural outcomes when systems are designed with ecosystem dynamics in mind. In addition to productivity gains, such models can further reduce the need for chemical herbicides and mechanical mowing, lowering operational costs while supporting biodiversity.

Agrivoltaics takes root across Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia presents a rich tapestry of opportunities for implementing agrivoltaics, given its abundant sunlight and vast agricultural landscapes. The region also faces an outsized need to balance its land resources for both clean energy and food production to resolve the twin challenges of a rapidly growing population as well as urgency to reduce its emissions.

To this end, a growing number of countries have started integrating clean energy with agrifood systems. In the Philippines, leading energy firm ACEN (formerly Ayala Corporation Energy), a renewable energy company working to help accelerate energy transition in the Philippines and Asia Pacific with various RE tools, piloted its agrivoltaics programme “Solar Gulayan” across five solar farms, harvesting over 1,700 kilos of crops, while generating 326MW of RE capacity within a year.

Indonesia is also piloting agrivoltaic systems on its most populous island Java, exploring how solar installations can coexist with food production in densely populated regions. The West Java agrivoltaics farm, which produces chilies, spinach, and shade-tolerant rice varieties, offers an early glimpse at how dual-use renewable agriculture might work at scale.

Here in Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia received recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records for launching one of the nation’s largest agrivoltaic experiments. The project located in Puchong plants 25,000 Misai Kuching, (scientific name: orthosiphon aristatus) herbs under a solar PV installation, optimising land use while providing natural cooling benefits to the solar panels.

These early initiatives demonstrate the viability of dual-use solar models and how they can be tailored to diverse landscapes, crop types, and socio-economic contexts. With continued investment, collaboration, policy alignment and capacity building, agrivoltaics could be the key to meeting both the region’s energy and food security needs at once.

Bringing global experience in nature-positive solar to Malaysia

As Malaysia expands its solar capacity, global experience can offer valuable lessons on how renewable projects should be designed to maximise broader environmental and social benefits. To this end, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has gained exposure in mature energy markets through subsidiaries like Spark Renewables in Australia and Vantage RE in the UK.

By participating in large-scale projects in markets where solar developments are increasingly expected to support biodiversity, local communities, and long-term land stewardship, TNB is well-positioned to translate lessons for Malaysia by adapting proven models in community engagement, biodiversity planning, and land optimisation.

In Australia, projects like the Bomen Solar farm demonstrate how structured community benefit mechanisms can be embedded into renewable developments. The 100 MW solar farm operating on Wagga Wagga, the traditional lands of the native Wiradjuri people, produces enough clean, reliable energy to power over 36,000 Australian homes each year.

To support local communities, TNB’s subsidiary Spark Renewables in collaboration with Westpac also set up the $1 million Bomen Solar Farm Community Fund, marking it as one of the largest solar farm community benefit funds in Australia. The Fund works closely with the Wagga Wagga City Council to support ongoing revegetation and city greening programmes.

Additionally, Spark Renewables collaborates with Macquarie University through a three-year Australian Research Council Fellowship to develop regulations that promote agrivoltaics while ensuring energy justice. Meanwhile, a partnership with Charles Sturt University is trialing which pasture mixes grow best beneath solar panels.

In the UK, TNB’s solar farms have been paired with biodiversity management plans to ensure active habitat protection even after the farms become operational. Through its solar farm in Ireland, Vantage RE also provides a diversified income stream for a local family that has farmed the land for three generations, helping to sustain their legacy.

Drawing inspiration from TNB’s experiences and customising strategies to the local context can help Malaysia navigate the complex task of harmonising energy production and agriculture. By doing so, future national developments can move beyond single-use land models to incorporate agrivoltaic, nature-positive principles from the outset.

Unlocking value for the solar industry and rural communities

The promise of agrivoltaics points to an exciting new chapter in the energy transition, one where clean power generation goes hand in hand with restoring and revitalising land. As Malaysia and the region expand solar capacity, this approach offers a practical way to grow renewable energy while strengthening the communities and landscapes that host it.

Agrivoltaics broadens what solar can mean on the ground. Panels become part of working farms. Energy projects become sources of local income and resilience. With the right momentum, this model can help accelerate renewable adoption while unlocking new value across rural economies.

In the years ahead, scaling solar will not only be about megawatts installed, but about how intelligently and inclusively that capacity is built. Agrivoltaics offers a glimpse of that future, where renewable energy powers homes, supports livelihoods and helps shape a more durable energy landscape for Malaysia.