Agrivoltaics Calculator
Crop production under panels with dual-use analysis.
About this calculator
Agrivoltaics combines solar generation and crop production on the same land, and this calculator's outputs split cleanly along that division. Solar production (annual kWh and solar revenue) depends only on the panel-side inputs -- capacity, peak sun hours, system derate, and electricity rate -- and is completely unaffected by land area, crop pricing, or how the crop tolerates shade: the panels generate the same electricity whether or not anything is planted underneath. Ground coverage ratio (GCR), the fraction of land actually covered by panels, is the dominant factor for both light transmission and crop yield retention -- a denser panel layout blocks more direct light, and that reduction feeds through to how much of the crop's full-sun yield survives under the array, moderated by how shade-tolerant the crop itself is.
Crop revenue then scales with land area and crop price per acre in direct proportion, further adjusted down by that yield-retention factor. Panel height above the ground has no effect on any of the financial or yield calculations here -- it only feeds a separate pass/fail check for whether standard farm equipment (tractors typically need at least 8 feet of clearance) can operate underneath the array; raising panels higher for equipment access does not, by itself, let more light through in this model. The Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) is calculated from crop yield retention alone plus a fixed 1.0 for the solar side (since the same panels are assumed to produce the same energy whether or not crops grow beneath them) -- it does not respond to land area, solar capacity, sun hours, or crop price at all, only to the light-transmission and shade-tolerance factors that determine how much of the crop's full yield survives.
Inputs
Results
Combined annual revenue ($)
$64,720.00
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the total dual-use land area in acres and installed solar capacity in kW DC.
- Set peak sun hours for your location and system derate factor.
- Enter the ground coverage ratio (GCR) and panel height -- lower GCR and higher panels allow more light for crops.
- Input full-sun crop revenue per acre and your crop shade tolerance percentage.
- Review the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER > 1.0 means dual-use outperforms separate land uses) and combined annual revenue.
How the result changes with Solar capacity (kW DC)
| Solar capacity (kW DC) | Combined annual revenue ($) |
|---|---|
| 250 | $35,520.00 |
| 375 | $50,120.00 |
| 750 | $93,920.00 |
| 1,250 | $152,320.00 |
What each input means
- Land area (acres)
- Total dual-use land area in acres.
- Solar capacity (kW DC)
- Total installed DC solar capacity.
- Peak sun hours (PSH)
- Average daily peak sun hours at your location.
- System derate factor
- DC-to-AC efficiency including all losses.
- Ground coverage ratio (GCR)
- Fraction of ground area covered by panels. Lower GCR = more light for crops.
- Panel height (ft)
- Bottom edge of panels above ground. 8+ ft recommended for tractor access.
- Full-sun crop revenue ($/acre)
- Annual crop revenue per acre under full sun conditions.
- Electricity rate ($/kWh)
- PPA rate or wholesale electricity price.
- Crop shade tolerance (%)
- How well the crop tolerates reduced light. Lettuce/herbs ~90%, corn ~60%.
What each result means
- Combined annual revenue ($)
- Total revenue from solar electricity + crop production.
- Annual solar production (kWh)
- Estimated electricity generated per year.
- Solar revenue ($/yr)
- Annual electricity revenue.
- Light transmission (%)
- Percentage of sunlight reaching crops.
- Crop yield retained (%)
- Expected crop yield as percentage of full-sun yield.
- Crop revenue ($/yr)
- Adjusted annual crop revenue under panels.
- Land Equivalent Ratio (LER)
- LER > 1.0 means dual-use is more productive than separate land for each.
- Energy density (kWh/acre)
- Annual solar production per acre.
- Equipment access OK?
- Whether panel height clears the ~8 ft typically needed for small-tractor access underneath the array.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters9 parametersLand area (acres) = 10, Solar capacity (kW DC) = 500, Peak sun hours (PSH) = 5, System derate factor = 0.8, Ground coverage ratio (GCR) = 0.35, Panel height (ft) = 10, Full-sun crop revenue ($/acre) = 800, Electricity rate ($/kWh) = 0.08, Crop shade tolerance (%) = 80 = 9 input(s) provided
- Calculate Combined annual revenueCombined annual revenue = solarRevenueAnnual + agriRevenue64720 = $64,720
- Calculate Annual solar productionAnnual solar production = solarCapacityKW * peakSunHours * 365 * systemDerate730000 = 730000
- Calculate Solar revenueSolar revenue = annualSolarKWh * electricityRate58400 = $58,400
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm evaluating a site -- should I expect agrivoltaic solar output to be lower than a same-capacity ground-mount system?
No -- this calculator models solar output from capacity, peak sun hours, and system derate exactly as a standalone ground-mount array would, with no separate agrivoltaic derate for racking height or wider row spacing, so if your actual site needs taller structures or wider aisles for equipment, real-world costs and shading losses specific to that design aren't captured here.
Why does ground coverage ratio dominate both light transmission and crop yield retained?
Ground coverage ratio (GCR) is the fraction of land physically covered by panels, and light transmission is calculated directly as 1 minus GCR -- a denser panel layout blocks more direct sunlight by definition. Crop yield retained then builds on that same light-transmission figure, weighted by the crop's own shade tolerance, so GCR's effect propagates through both outputs.
What panel height should I choose if I want to maximize crop yield, not just clear farm equipment?
This calculator ties crop yield only to ground coverage ratio and shade tolerance, not to panel height, so raising panels won't itself increase yield here -- pick a height based on the equipment you actually need underneath (roughly 8 feet for small tractors, more for combines or taller implements), then work the yield side through GCR and crop selection instead.
Is a Land Equivalent Ratio of 1.0 a bad outcome, or does it mean the dual-use system broke even?
An LER of 1.0 is the break-even point where combined solar-plus-crop production matches what you'd get from dedicating the full parcel to either use alone, so it's a reasonable, not disappointing, result -- LER above 1.0 signals genuine land-use synergy, while a solar-side value fixed at 1.0 in this model means every LER gain here comes entirely from the crop yield-retention term.
Which matters more for comparing two different-sized project sites -- total solar production or kWh per acre?
kWh per acre is the fairer comparison across sites of different sizes, since total annual solar production just scales with however much capacity you install and says nothing about land efficiency, while dividing that output by acreage lets you judge which site or panel layout squeezes more energy out of each acre of ground actually committed to the array.
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