Vertical Solar Farms: How Bifacial Panels Are Revolutionizing Solar Energy in 2025

Imagine solar farms that stand upright like fences, capturing the sun’s rays from both sides and sharing land with crops and livestock. Vertical solar farms – essentially solar panels mounted vertically (90°) – are emerging as a game-changing trend in renewable energy. These installations often use bifacial solar panels (solar cells on both front and back) to harvest sunlight from the east in the morning and the west in the late afternoon sunzaun.com, solarwa.org. The result is a new kind of solar array that generates power throughout the day, works in harmony with agriculture, and addresses some challenges of traditional solar layouts. This report explains what vertical solar farms are, how bifacial panels work, why combining them is so powerful, and what benefits and challenges they bring. We’ll also explore real-world deployments in places like Germany, the U.S., and Japan, share expert insights and news up to August 2025, and discuss what the future might hold for this innovative approach.

What Are Vertical Solar Farms?

Vertical solar farms refer to photovoltaic (PV) installations where panels are mounted upright at a 90° angle instead of the usual tilted orientation. Often, vertical panels are arranged in long rows running north-south, so that one face of the panel points due east and the other face points due west sunzaun.com. In essence, the solar panel acts like a wall or fence. This configuration is very different from conventional solar farms where panels typically face south (in the Northern Hemisphere) at an angle to maximize midday sun.

In a vertical farm, each side of the panel catches sunlight at different times: the east-facing side in the morning and the west-facing side in the afternoon. This gives two daily peaks of power generation – one after sunrise and another before sunset – instead of one big noontime peak solarwa.org. Because panels are vertical, they cast relatively narrow shadows and don’t cover the ground as extensively as flat arrays, which is a crucial advantage for using the land beneath or around them.

Vertical solar installations can be deployed in various ways. In rural settings, they often appear as solar fences running along field boundaries or between crop rows. In urban or industrial settings, vertical panels can be integrated into walls, façades, or along perimeters of properties, turning previously unused vertical space into energy-generating real estate sunzaun.com. They have even been proposed or implemented along highways as solar noise barriers, combining sound reduction with power production (a concept already piloted in Germany) 8msolar.com. However, one of the most exciting applications is on farmland – a practice known as agrivoltaics – where vertical solar panels allow simultaneous crop cultivation and electricity generation on the same plot of landasahi.com.

Agrivoltaic vertical farms are gaining attention because they address a key concern: the conflict between using land for food versus energy. By standing panels upright in widely spaced rows, farmers can continue using heavy machinery and planting crops between the panel rows with minimal interference asahi.com. For instance, in Japan a vertical solar array was installed in a rice paddy in 2024; the following harvest yielded only 5% less rice than the previous year without panels asahi.com, and the farmer gained a new revenue stream from selling solar power. “The vertical solar panels turned out to have less of an impact on the crop than we had expected,” said Taiki Akasaka of Sharing Farm (the company operating that project), adding that they hope to expand the technology if costs come down asahi.com. This example illustrates how vertical PV can coexist with crops – something that traditional, ground-covering solar farms struggle to do.

Another notable feature of vertical farms is their performance in snowy or high-latitude regions. Because the panels are vertical, snow doesn’t accumulate on their surface the way it does on flat or tilted panels – snow just slides off or falls to the ground. This means they can keep generating power after a snowfall, and even take advantage of light reflected off the snow on the ground asahi.com. In fact, officials from the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association predict that vertical solar installations will grow rapidly (by 20–30% annually) in Japan’s cold, snowy areas where this snow-shedding and reflected-light capability is a big asset asahi.com. Similarly, vertical panels tend to stay cleaner; dust and debris don’t settle as easily on a vertical surface, and rain can wash them more effectively, reducing maintenance needs pv-magazine.com.

In summary, a vertical solar farm is a solar power system turned on its side – literally. By trading a bit of midday efficiency for structural and land-use advantages, these farms open up new possibilities: they can function as fences or walls, power generation can be embedded in farms, and previously impractical sites (like narrow strips of land) can produce energy. But the real magic happens when we pair this design with bifacial solar panel technology – allowing each upright panel to harness sunlight on both its front and back.

How Bifacial Solar Panels Work

Bifacial solar panels are panels that generate electricity on both sides. Unlike traditional solar modules (monofacial panels) that have an active photovoltaic layer only on the front side (with an opaque backsheet behind), bifacial panels have solar cells exposed on the rear side as well. This means a bifacial panel can convert light to power from direct sunlight on the front and from reflected or diffuse light on the back side solarwa.org. Essentially, the panel doesn’t care which side the light comes from – it’s all useful energy.

Several design features enable bifacial functionality. Often, these panels use a clear back sheet or dual glass design so light can pass through to the rear cells. They are mounted in a way (often elevated or in open frames) that allows light to reach the backside from the surroundings (like the ground, nearby surfaces, or the atmosphere). The performance of the back side depends on the “albedo” of the environment – a measure of reflectivity. For example, white sand, concrete, or snow on the ground reflects a lot of sunlight, which bifacial panels can capture, boosting their energy output solarwa.org. In snowy conditions, a bifacial panel might even generate power from light reflected off the snow cover around it, something a normal panel would miss entirely.

In terms of efficiency, bifacial modules can produce significantly more energy than single-sided ones under the right conditions. Studies have shown anywhere from a 5% up to 30% increase in energy yield using bifacial panels, depending on factors like location, ground reflectivity, installation height, and so on solarwa.org. Even a modest reflectance (say, a light-colored surface beneath the panel) contributes some extra kilowatt-hours. This technology has matured rapidly – by mid-2020s many large solar farms worldwide began using bifacial modules as standard to get an edge in production.

One important benefit of bifacial panels is that they can run cooler than monofacial ones in certain configurations solarwa.org. If a panel is vertical or otherwise not directly facing the midday sun, it absorbs less heat at those peak hours. Lower panel temperatures improve solar cell efficiency (since extreme heat can reduce a panel’s instantaneous efficiency). Vertical bifacial panels, for instance, tend to avoid the full brunt of the noon sun (since they face east-west), keeping their surfaces cooler and thus operating more efficiently over the day solarwa.org. In other words, any energy they lose by not facing the sun head-on at noon can be partially offset by the fact that they’re converting sunlight more efficiently when they do capture it, thanks to lower temperatures.

To sum up, bifacial panels are a perfect complement to vertical installations. A vertically oriented monofacial panel would generate from only one side (either morning or afternoon sun, but not both). By using bifacial modules, vertical solar farms can utilize both sides of each panel, effectively doubling the useful surface area for generation. It’s the key that unlocks the full potential of vertical arrays – capturing the sun’s energy during more hours of the day and from more angles. Next, we’ll explore why this pairing of vertical design and bifacial tech is creating such a buzz, and what unique advantages it offers.

The Synergy of Vertical Design and Bifacial Technology

Combining vertical mounting with bifacial panels creates a powerful synergy that addresses some limitations of conventional solar setups. Here are a few ways this combo works together to deliver unique benefits:

All-Day Power Profile: A traditional south-facing solar farm has one sharp power peak around midday. In contrast, an east-west facing vertical bifacial farm produces two gentler peaks – one in the morning (east side active) and one in late afternoon (west side active) solarwa.org. It’s like having “two shifts” of solar power generation each day, as one solar enthusiast noted sunzaun.com. This more even distribution of power can better match typical electricity demand patterns (which often see spikes in the morning and evening when people prepare for work or come home) sunzaun.com. It also means the installation is generating usable energy during hours that traditional panels might sit idle or at low output. For example, a Colorado farm that installed vertical bifacial panels found their peak outputs around 9 AM and 4 PM, instead of all at noon solarwa.org. This kind of production profile is highly valued, because it can reduce strain on the grid during those morning/evening periods and lessen the need for battery storage to cover early or late-day demand solarwa.org.
Reduced Midday Curtailment: In solar-rich regions, a weird problem sometimes occurs – too much solar power at midday. This oversupply can lead grid operators to curtail (shut off) some solar farms during peak sun hours, wasting potential energy. Vertical bifacial farms inherently produce less at noon, so they are less likely to contribute to oversupply. Instead, they generate proportionally more in shoulder hours, which can fill in the gaps when other solar sources dip solarwa.org. As researchers at Germany’s Leipzig University noted, widespread use of vertical PV can reduce reliance on gas peaker plants or large storage, since they complement the timing of conventional flat solar plants solarwa.org. In essence, a mix of traditional and vertical solar could provide a smoother supply curve – conventional panels cover midday, vertical panels cover mornings/evenings, and together they provide more consistent power through the day.
Dual-Sided Harvesting: The bifacial aspect means vertical farms capitalize on light from both directions. During sunrise, the east-facing side of each panel is generating power while the west-facing side might even catch some reflected light from the ground or atmosphere, and vice-versa in the afternoon. Even diffuse light on a cloudy day can hit both sides to some degree, improving energy yield. This 360° collection capability is especially useful in environments with high albedo (reflective surfaces). For instance, in winter when the sun is low, light reflecting off snow cover can significantly boost the output of the back side of bifacial panels asahi.com. Vertical bifacial systems in high latitudes benefit from this by producing energy not just from direct sun but also from ambient light that a one-sided panel would never capture.
Naturally Cleaner and Cooler Panels: As mentioned, vertical panels shed snow and dust more readily. There’s no flat surface for snow to accumulate on, and rainfall can wash both faces effectively. A farming company in Austria that deployed vertical bifacial panels in 2022 reported that they have never needed to manually clean the panels – natural rain and the vertical orientation kept them clean, aided by the local climate pv-magazine.com. This reduces maintenance costs and keeps efficiency high. Additionally, because vertical bifacial panels avoid direct overhead sun, they run cooler during midday. Cooler operating temperatures can boost efficiency – effectively squeezing more electricity out per unit of sunlight. One study found that the cooler panel temperature of vertically mounted bifacial modules contributed to their higher productivity solarwa.org. It’s a win-win: the design not only captures light on two sides, but also passively mitigates two common performance issues (soiling and heat).

In short, vertical farms with bifacial panels create a more stable and resilient solar power system. They generate when and where others might not (think of a snowy morning – rooftop panels might be covered in snow, but vertical ones are likely clear and working). They also open up new spaces for solar deployment (like field edges, fences, and urban walls) and integrate well with other land uses. This synergy is driving growing interest from both solar developers and the farming community, as we’ll see in the next sections.

Key Benefits and Use Cases

Vertical bifacial solar farms offer numerous benefits and enable creative use cases that traditional solar arrays can’t easily match. Below we outline some of the most important advantages, along with real-world examples of how and where these systems are being used:

Dual Land Use – Farming and Solar Together: Perhaps the biggest draw is the ability to share land between energy and agriculture. Farmers can keep growing crops or grazing animals on land that also hosts vertical solar panels. The panels’ slim profile and wide spacing mean tractors and harvesters can move freely, and crops still get plenty of midday sun. asahi.com, pv-magazine-usa.com In one Austrian agrivoltaic farm, rows of bifacial vertical panels 9.4 meters apart were installed between crop rows; the farm still cultivates pumpkins and soybeans with minimal changes pv-magazine.com. Crop performance has been encouraging – the pumpkin yields were on par with unshaded fields, and soybeans took slightly longer to mature but still produced harvests within a reasonable timeframe pv-magazine.com. In Japan’s rice field trial, as noted, the rice yield drop was only ~5% with panels, which the farmer considered a fair trade-off for the electricity generated asahi.com. Agrivoltaics is seen as a win-win: farmers get a new income stream (selling power) and potentially some agronomic benefits (like reduced heat stress on plants), while society gets renewable energy without sacrificing food production. As Chad Higgins, an associate professor at Oregon State University, put it, agrivoltaics can provide “true synergy” – leading to “more food, more energy, lower water demand, lower carbon emissions, and more prosperous rural communities.” solarwa.org
Reduced Land Footprint & Higher Energy Density: Vertical panels use land very efficiently in terms of spacing and land coverage. Because they stand upright, their ground coverage ratio can be low – meaning much of the ground is still open for other uses (agriculture or otherwise). One study noted that vertical installations achieved excellent ground coverage utilization while still generating substantial power, an attractive feature for space-constrained applications solarwa.org. In practical terms, you can line the edges of fields, property lines, or roads with vertical panels where they won’t interfere with primary land uses. For example, a winery in California installed vertical bifacial panels along the rows of grapevines – essentially blending into the trellis structure – to generate power without reducing vineyard area solarwa.org. In dense commercial zones or facilities, vertical solar can be added to parking lot boundaries, security fences, sound barriers, or building façades – places where standard solar racks or rooftop panels might not fit sunzaun.com. This turns previously unused or “dead” space into productive solar farms. It’s even been suggested that vertical solar fences could replace or augment ordinary fencing, essentially giving you a fence that also pays you back in electricity youtube.com. Overall, vertical bifacial setups can achieve higher energy per unit of land when you consider the land remains multi-use – one estimate is that co-developing ag land with solar could contribute up to 20% of total U.S. electricity generation without reducing crop output, if scaled up nationwide solarwa.org.
Morning & Evening Power Boost (Grid Benefits): Because of the east-west orientation, vertical bifacial farms supply more power during morning and late afternoon hours than conventional farms do. This is a big benefit for the electric grid and energy planners. It means solar power is available closer to the times of peak demand (which in many regions occur in early evening) and can reduce reliance on fossil fuel plants or batteries to fill the gaps. A German developer of vertical PV put it this way: “The vertical system always produces electricity when conventional PV systems tend to produce less.” pveurope.eu In practice, this can make solar energy more dispatchable and reduce the need to curtail excess midday generation solarwa.org. By spreading out the power over the day, vertical farms can also take better advantage of time-of-use electricity pricing – in some markets, morning and evening power is worth more than noontime power. Johannes Huber, a project engineer at Next2Sun, noted that the combination of bifacial panels and a more useful production profile can “lead to an overall increase in the value of electricity production of 25%” for a vertical system, even if total kWh output is a bit lower, because more of the energy is generated during high-value hours pv-magazine.com.
All-Weather Resilience (Snow, Clouds, and Heat): Vertical bifacial panels show distinct advantages in certain weather conditions. In snowy climates, as mentioned, they shed snow easily and can even generate from reflected sunlight on the snow. This makes them far more winter-proof. Traditional panels in heavy snow might go offline for days until the snow melts or is brushed off, whereas vertical panels can keep humming with minimal interruption sunzaun.com, asahi.com. In cloudy weather, vertical panels receive diffuse light more evenly on both sides, which can sometimes narrow the performance gap with angled panels. And during extremely hot days, vertical panels run a bit cooler (since they aren’t absorbing the full force of midday sun head-on), potentially maintaining better efficiency solarwa.org. These factors mean vertical farms can have more stable output across seasons. In fact, data from test sites show that on some winter days or during certain conditions (like overcast skies or when heavy soiling affects tilted panels), vertical bifacial arrays have outperformed traditional tilted arrays of similar capacity sunzaun.com. Their dual-facing nature also somewhat hedges against weather – if the eastern sky is cloudy at sunrise but clears later, the west-facing side will still capture the afternoon sun, and vice versa.
Less Maintenance and Longevity: The orientation and design of vertical farms can simplify maintenance. As noted, there’s less accumulation of dirt and snow, meaning fewer cleaning cycles. There’s also evidence of reduced wear: since panels aren’t facing straight up, they receive less bombardment from things like hail and debris. They effectively present a narrower profile to falling objects. Many vertical systems use robust mounting (often dual-post mounts) to hold the panels securely; one design even suspends panels with slight flexibility to withstand strong winds without crackingpveurope.eu. In an Austrian vertical PV plant with 4,500 modules, only 7 panels had minor mechanical damage after the first couple of years – damage attributed to farming activities, and even those were isolated cases pv-magazine.com. Overall, the hope is that these systems might last longer with fewer repairs. It’s still early, but the signs are positive that vertical bifacial arrays can be low-maintenance, work year-round, and have lifespans comparable to any conventional solar farm.
Agricultural Microclimate Benefits: An interesting side benefit emerging from agrivoltaic studies is that the partial shade from solar panels can improve growing conditions for certain crops. While it’s intuitive to think any shading hurts plants, research reveals that in hot and arid conditions, too much direct sun can actually stress plants and dry out soil sunzaun.com. Crops like lettuce, berries, or even certain strains of corn can suffer in extreme heat and high sun exposure. Vertical panels that cast long, narrow shadows moving across the field may reduce peak afternoon sun intensity on crops and decrease evaporation. Early experiments have shown that this can save water – soil under and around solar panel rows retains moisture longer, reducing irrigation needs for the crops pv-magazine-usa.com. For example, a University of Liège (Belgium) study found that a vertical agrivoltaic system significantly cut water demand for irrigated crops, since the shading and wind-breaking effect of the panels conserved soil moisture pv-magazine-usa.com. There is also evidence that certain shade-tolerant or cool-weather crops yield more in an agrivoltaic setup than in full sun, particularly in drought-prone areas sunzaun.com. These effects depend on the crop and climate, but it suggests vertical solar farms could help buffer some impacts of climate change (like intense heat and drought) on agriculture, in addition to generating energy.

In light of these benefits, it’s no surprise that interest in vertical bifacial systems is coming from various directions – renewable energy developers looking for innovative projects, farmers seeking extra income and climate resilience, and even policymakers looking for solutions to land-use conflicts. But like any technology, there are challenges and trade-offs to consider too, which we’ll address next.

Challenges and Drawbacks

While vertical solar farms with bifacial panels are promising, they are not without challenges. Some of the main drawbacks and hurdles include:

Lower Total Energy Output (per Panel): By not facing the sun directly at noon, a vertical panel will generally produce less annual energy than an optimally tilted south-facing panel at the same location. Even with bifacial boost, the panel is essentially collecting oblique sunlight most of the day (except during early and late hours). This means you might need to install more capacity (more panels or a larger area of panels) to get the same total kWh output as a conventional farm. For instance, one solar enthusiast’s tests showed that the average daily production of vertical panels was lower than that of tilted panels – though the vertical set caught up or even exceeded during winter and fringe hours sunzaun.com. The exact deficit varies by location – in very high latitudes or very cloudy areas, vertical might fare relatively better, but in sunny equatorial regions, vertical orientation would miss a lot of high noon sun. In practical terms, a farmer or developer must weigh land availability and desired output: if maximum energy per panel is the goal and land is cheap, traditional layouts win. Vertical systems shine when land is constrained or dual-use is prioritized over sheer output.
Higher Initial Costs: Today, vertical agrivoltaic systems tend to cost more to build per watt than standard PV farms. Specially designed racking, deeper foundations (to support panels like a fence against wind), and the bifacial panels (which historically cost a bit more than monofacial) all add to the price. As a data point, a vertical bifacial project in Austria estimated the mounting structure cost around €200,000 per MW, compared to roughly €110,000 per MW for a traditional ground-mounted system in that region pv-magazine.com. That’s almost double the racking cost, although this gap can shrink with scale and local optimizations. Bifacial modules themselves currently carry a small premium (roughly $0.10–0.20 per watt more than mono-facial modules) solarwa.org, though their price has been dropping as they become mainstream. Moreover, vertical systems may need more electrical wiring per panel (since panels are spread out more) and more fencing or security since they cover a larger area in a fence-like fashion. All these factors can raise the upfront investment. On the flip side, proponents argue that the energy yield per watt and the higher value of that energy (due to better timing) can offset some of this. One analysis noted that the extra yield from bifacial panels and improved production profile can make the levelized cost of electricity from a vertical system comparable to a conventional system in the long run solarwa.org. Still, the higher sticker price can be a deterrent, especially for farmers or small developers. Taiki Akasaka of Sharing Farm (the Japanese agrivoltaic project) candidly said they’d like to spread the vertical panel technology further “if they can be built more cheaply” asahi.com.
Structural and Wind Considerations: Vertical panels essentially act like sails catching the wind. Engineering the racking and supports to withstand strong winds (or even storms) is crucial. This often means heavier steel supports, deep pilings, or flexible mount designs that can absorb wind gusts. The Next2Sun system, for example, uses a patented frame where modules are mounted on slightly flexible bearings – this helps prevent stress cracks in the panels during wind loads while still keeping everything structurally sound pveurope.eu. Additionally, with vertical orientation, ensuring rows don’t shade each other requires wide spacing. As noted, rows might be 8–10+ meters apart depending on panel height, to prevent one row’s shadow from hitting the next row at low sun angles pveurope.eu, pv-magazine.com. This means you must have enough land length to space them out properly, and it can complicate layouts on irregularly shaped plots. For very large installations, the spacing also means lower packing density of panels on a given acreage compared to tightly packed tilted rows – again a trade-off between land-use efficiency vs. dual-use.
Compatibility with Certain Crops or Uses: Not every crop or scenario is ideal for vertical agrivoltaics. Tall-growing crops (like full-height corn, sugarcane, or orchard trees) could shade the panels or be impeded by them. One solution is to use adjustable racking that can raise panels higher off the ground, but that increases cost and complexity sunzaun.com, solarwa.org. In the Colorado State University test site, the vertical panels were installed initially with corn, but the system was designed so panels could be lifted a few additional feet if needed for taller crops in the future sunzaun.com. Livestock integration (like cattle grazing around panels) also requires careful design – as the Rutgers project in New Jersey shows, you might need additional features like animal shelters and fencing to protect both the animals and the solar equipment pv-magazine-usa.com. There’s also the issue of farmers being accustomed to unobstructed fields; introducing rows of panels means altering field operations (albeit modestly). This requires awareness and sometimes training – e.g. ensuring tractor drivers know the clearances, or timing planting/harvesting to account for panel rows. The learning curve and acceptance among farmers is a challenge. “If agrivoltaics offers so many benefits, why aren’t we seeing it everywhere?” asks Tim Montague, host of the Clean Power Hour podcast – awareness and education are part of the issue, as many farmers simply don’t know much about these systems yet sunzaun.com. Convincing traditional farmers to embrace solar infrastructure on their land can take time and demonstration of success.
Regulatory and Policy Hurdles: In some regions, there is no clear policy framework for dual-use solar farms. Zoning laws might not account for structures in fields, or incentive programs might be geared to either farming or solar, but not both simultaneously. This is starting to change – for example, states like New Jersey have launched Dual-Use Solar pilot programs to specifically study and support agrivoltaics pv-magazine-usa.com. The European Union and countries like Germany are also looking at adjusting renewable energy auctions and farm subsidy rules to encourage agri-PV (Germany’s draft “Solar package” in 2023 included agrivoltaic provisions). Still, permitting a vertical solar farm on agricultural land can raise unique questions: Will it count as a farm structure or an energy facility? Can the land still be taxed or zoned as agricultural? Policies will need to catch up to recognize and reward the dual benefits. Industry experts like Helge Biernath, CEO of vertical solar company Sunzaun, emphasize shifting the narrative: instead of asking for special incentives for agrivoltaics, he argues that not adopting agrivoltaics could risk future agricultural output given climate stress on crops sunzaun.com. That’s a bold stance, but it underlines the need for policymakers to see agrivoltaics as a climate resilience strategy, not just an energy project.
Aesthetics and Public Perception: A field of vertical solar panels looks different than either a regular solar farm or a typical field of crops. In essence, it creates rows of metallic “fences” in the landscape, which can be up to 8–10 feet tall (a few meters). Some people might find this visual impact jarring or worry about it “industrializing” rural scenery. Community acceptance is a factor; even conventional solar farms face NIMBY opposition at times, and vertical ones will have to address that too. On the flip side, since vertical farms leave greenery and open space between rows, some might find them less obtrusive than a solid sea of tilted panels. Early agrivoltaic projects often highlight the minimal visual change – for example, after installation in a soybean field, you still see green fields with occasional panel rows rather than an entirely blue/black solar cover. Nonetheless, developers need to engage communities and demonstrate benefits. In Oregon, a large agrivoltaic project (the 1,588-acre Muddy Creek Energy Park) has stirred debate – proponents argue it will be a model dual-use farm, while some locals are skeptical of anything spanning thousands of acres even if it’s dual-use capitalpress.com. As with wind turbines or traditional solar farms, balancing development with local concerns remains a challenge.

In summary, vertical bifacial solar farms must overcome higher upfront costs, ensure robust design for wind and farm operations, fit within crop and livestock systems, and navigate regulatory as well as social landscapes. These challenges are real, but they are being addressed through innovation, policy tweaks, and growing experience from pilot projects. Costs, for example, are expected to come down as more projects are built – much like how early solar panels were expensive but plummeted in price with mass production. Next, we’ll consider the cost factor in a bit more detail, and how the economics of vertical solar stack up.

Cost Considerations

Economic viability is a key question for any new solar approach. Vertical bifacial systems introduce some different cost factors and savings compared to standard PV arrays:

Upfront Capital Costs: As discussed, expect higher initial costs for vertical farms primarily due to mounting structures and possibly bifacial panels. The magnitude of the premium can vary. In some cases, the land itself might cost less (if you’re using a small strip of land or sharing with farming, you might not need to buy or lease as much dedicated acreage as a standalone solar farm would). Government incentives or grants can play a role: recognizing the dual-use nature, some governments subsidize agrivoltaic pilots. For instance, the Austrian government provided a 15% investment subsidy for the vertical agrivoltaic plant in Neudorf because it preserved agricultural land use pv-magazine.com. Similarly, New Jersey’s pilot program gave $2 million to Rutgers for agrivoltaic research installations pv-magazine-usa.com, and Japan has had grants in the past for farmers adopting solar sharing. These incentives help offset the extra cost during this early adoption phase.
Energy Yield and Revenue: While vertical farms produce fewer kWh per installed kW than a optimally tilted farm, the value of those kWh can be higher. Many markets have time-of-day pricing or peak demand charges that make morning/evening electricity more lucrative than midday electricity. If selling power to the grid, a vertical farm might earn more revenue per kWh on average. There’s also potential for premium branding – for example, a farmer could market their crops as sustainably grown under solar panels, possibly attracting eco-conscious customers or contracts, though this is a niche idea at the moment. Additionally, the farm gets a second revenue stream (electricity sales or savings) to stack on top of crop income. In one hypothetical example published by MarketWatch, a 6 kW residential vertical bifacial system could generate ~9,000 kWh/year (under good sun conditions), which at $0.16/kWh yields about $1,440 in value per year solarwa.org. That indicates a solid payoff over time, although the installation might cost more than a standard 6 kW system. The calculus for a farm-scale system would consider both the electricity revenue and any impact (positive or negative) on crop yield. In many cases, even a single-digit percentage reduction in crop yield can be outweighed by the energy profits, especially for lower-value commodity crops.
Operational Savings: Vertical agrivoltaics can save money on operations in a few ways. Reduced panel cleaning and maintenance is one – as noted, if nature keeps panels cleaner, you spend less on cleaning crews or robots. Another is potentially reduced insurance or risk costs. For example, vertical panels are less likely to be damaged by heavy snow loads (a common hazard for roof-mounted panels in winter). They may also be less prone to theft or vandalism if they double as secure fencing for a property. On farms, they can serve as windbreaks, possibly reducing wind damage to certain crops or erosion – a benefit that’s hard to monetize but still real. On the flip side, one must account for possible new costs: e.g., if a tractor driver accidentally clips a panel row, there could be repair costs, or if livestock chew on wires, you’d need protective measures. So management practices have to adapt.
Longevity and Returns: If designed and maintained well, vertical bifacial systems should last 25-30 years just like conventional solar farms (the panels and inverters have the same lifespans). The question is whether their output degrades more or less compared to usual. There’s some speculation that because vertical panels avoid the hottest sun and accumulate less dirt, their performance degradation over time might be slower – but long-term data isn’t in yet. If true, that could mean a longer useful life or better performance in later years, improving the lifetime return on investment. Early adopters are also banking on the idea that combining farming and energy might open up new revenue streams (such as carbon credits for climate-smart agriculture, or payments for grid services since their generation profile is grid-friendly).
Economies of Scale: As more vertical projects get built, manufacturers and installers will likely find ways to cut costs. Already, companies are optimizing mounting systems – for instance, using module frames with pre-drilled holes so they can be bolted directly to posts without separate racks pv-magazine-usa.com. That kind of simplification can reduce steel usage and labor. Bifacial panel prices are also dropping as they become the industry norm. Next2Sun, one of the pioneers, has been partnering with panel makers (like a recent collaboration with Chinese manufacturer Huasun) to tailor bifacial modules for vertical use and bring costs down pv-magazine.com. If annual installation volumes of vertical agrivoltaics double or triple in coming years (as is happening in Europe pv-magazine.com), the economies of scale should improve and the cost premium could diminish. Industry experts at Intersolar Europe 2025 noted that the momentum is growing and vertical PV installations are ramping up, particularly in markets like Italy, Germany, and France pv-magazine.com – a sign that cost barriers are gradually being overcome by demand and innovation.

In conclusion, the financial outlook for vertical solar farms is promising but currently project-specific. They make a lot of sense in scenarios where land is scarce or expensive, where dual-use is highly valued, or where time-of-day pricing rewards their production profile. They may be less attractive purely on cheapest-cost-per-kWh terms in places with abundant cheap land and a need for maximum energy output (there, traditional solar may still win out). However, as the technology matures and more case studies demonstrate their value – not just in energy but in co-benefits – we can expect the cost equation to keep improving. It’s telling that some policymakers are already looking beyond cost; as one agrivoltaic advocate put it, “if you don’t do agrivoltaics, you won’t have the biomass yield you need in the future”, highlighting that the cost of inaction on integrating solar with agriculture could be higher in a climate-challenged world sunzaun.com.

Environmental and Social Impacts

Vertical bifacial solar farms have implications that extend to environmental and social realms, often quite positive:

Land Conservation and Food Security: By enabling dual land use, these systems help avoid the dilemma of “food vs. solar.” Farmland can continue to produce food while also producing clean energy. This is crucial as we seek to expand renewable energy – large solar farms in some regions have sparked concern about taking fertile land out of production. Agrivoltaics offers a way out of that conflict. A study in 2019 by Oregon State University researchers found that co-locating solar with agriculture on a broad scale could theoretically provide up to 20% of U.S. electricity needs with minimal impact on crop yields, while also creating over 100,000 jobs in rural areas solarwa.org. That points to a future where rural communities are hubs of both agriculture and energy, rather than having to sacrifice one for the other. Additionally, keeping land in dual use helps preserve rural landscapes and farming traditions, which is socially valuable.
Climate Change Resilience: As noted, partial shading from vertical panels can reduce heat stress on crops and lower evaporation, which is a boon in increasingly hot and dry climates. There’s also a hypothesis that by breaking up large open fields with panel rows, you might reduce wind erosion and even create micro-habitats that benefit certain insects or soil organisms (some agrivoltaic setups plant wildflowers or native grasses in the panel alleys to support pollinators). All these could make farms more resilient to climate extremes. From the energy side, having solar generation spread across more hours of the day (thanks to vertical panels) adds resilience to the grid – it’s like diversifying the solar “portfolio” against the risk of any single point of failure or intermittency period. It can also reduce the need for fossil backup in early morning/evenings, contributing to climate mitigation by cutting emissions. One environmental trade-off to watch is the impact of the physical structures on wildlife: vertical fences could potentially impede the movement of large animals across fields (though fencing is already common in farms). Proper spacing or wildlife-friendly design (like small gaps or wildlife corridors between sections) might be needed in some areas.
Reduced Carbon Footprint of Solar Energy: Bifacial vertical farms can improve the carbon payback time of solar installations. Manufacturing solar panels and steel racks has an embodied carbon cost; normally, a solar farm “pays back” that carbon by generating clean electricity in a few years. Because vertical systems can generate relatively more valuable electricity and avoid curtailment (meaning more of their potential output actually gets used), they make each panel’s contribution more effective. Also, if they indeed last longer or require less maintenance, that reduces the lifecycle emissions associated with replacement parts or maintenance activities. These factors are a bit hard to quantify now, but researchers are looking into how agrivoltaics could cut overall emissions not just by green electricity but by improving farm practices (e.g. less tractor use if shading reduces irrigation needs, thereby burning less diesel). One modeling study noted that vertical PV’s output profile could enable lower utilization of gas-fired plants or storage, indirectly avoiding emissions from those sources solarwa.org. The broader picture is that integrating energy into agriculture can yield systems that optimize land, water, and energy together, potentially unlocking synergies that reduce greenhouse gases more than if we tackle each separately.
Community and Economic Effects: For farmers, hosting a vertical solar farm can provide a steady income (through leases or selling power) that buffers against bad harvest years or volatile crop prices. This could enhance rural economic stability. It also turns farmers and landowners into stakeholders in renewable energy, broadening the constituency for clean energy adoption. There may even be cultural benefits; for example, younger generations might see high-tech solar on the family farm as an interesting innovation, possibly attracting them to continue farming rather than leave for city jobs. Some agrivoltaic projects have educational or research components (like the Rutgers and Colorado State sites) which engage students and local communities in sustainability science pv-magazine-usa.com, sandboxsolar.com. On the flip side, community acceptance needs careful handling – transparent communication, visual buffering (e.g., hedges along roads if the look of panels is a concern), and demonstration that farming continues robustly alongside the panels are important to get buy-in.
Visual Landscape and Cultural Impact: While vertical solar farms do alter the look of fields, some argue they could become an accepted part of modern agricultural landscape, much like tractors or irrigation equipment. In Japan, where vertical panels are starting to pop up on small farms, a major newspaper noted they “look set to transform the nation’s landscape in years to come” asahi.com – a change, but one that may be associated with progress and innovation. There’s precedent: wind turbines have changed rural skylines over the past decades; now perhaps slim rows of solar panels will dot fields. If done tastefully and at appropriate scale, this can be integrated without significantly detracting from scenic values, but it’s subjective. Some communities might prefer vertical panels to giant solar fields because they resemble fencing and can be seen as part of the agricultural setting rather than an industrial overlay. It will be interesting to see how public perception evolves as more pilot projects turn into full-scale deployments.

In essence, vertical bifacial solar farms offer a pathway to more sustainable land use, aligning renewable energy goals with agricultural and environmental stewardship. They are a tool for climate-smart agriculture – providing shade and supplemental income to farmers – and for renewable energy expansion without land conflict. As with any innovation, it’s important to monitor and mitigate any negative impacts (whether on biodiversity, scenery, or farm operations), but so far the experiences in multiple countries suggest a largely positive profile. A key aspect will be knowledge sharing and community engagement, to ensure that the people living with these systems see them as beneficial additions to their environment.

Comparing Vertical vs. Traditional Solar Arrays

It’s helpful to directly compare vertical bifacial solar farms with traditional horizontal (or tilted) solar farms to understand their respective strengths and weaknesses:

Orientation & Energy Production: Traditional solar arrays are typically fixed at an angle facing the equator (e.g. south-facing at ~20–40° tilt in the Northern Hemisphere) or use single-axis trackers that follow the sun east-to-west to maximize exposure. These designs aim to capture as much sunlight as possible over the day, leading to a production curve that peaks sharply at midday. Vertical arrays forego capturing overhead sun in exchange for capturing low-angle sun from both east and west. This means a flatter, broader production curve with two peaks (morning/evening) and a big dip at noon solarwa.org. In terms of total energy, a well-optimized traditional farm will usually generate more kWh per kW installed than a vertical farm, especially in summer. However, the vertical farm’s output might be more useful to the grid on its own. Think of it this way: a horizontal farm is like a sprinter (burst of energy around noon), while a vertical farm is more of a marathon runner (steady energy spread out).
Seasonal Performance: In winter, when the sun is low, south-tilted panels can be set at a steep angle to better catch the weak sunlight, whereas vertical panels (east-west) will get some sunshine during morning and afternoon if the sun rises/sets far enough to the south. If snow covers the ground, south-tilted panels might still get direct sun (if not snow-covered themselves), but vertical panels will be completely perpendicular to the winter sun around midday (meaning the sun is hitting their edge). So purely from a geometric standpoint, a south-facing panel has an edge in winter output. However, factor in snow cover: a vertical panel will likely be snow-free and also benefit from reflective snow on the ground, whereas a tilted panel might be blanketed by snow after a storm until cleared. In places with frequent snow, vertical systems can actually produce more over the winter season because of this, as observed in test cases where vertical arrays outperformed tilted ones on snowy days sunzaun.com. In cloudy winter weather, both systems produce little, but vertical might catch more diffuse light on both sides. In summer, traditional panels clearly win midday (when sun is high), but vertical panels might do relatively better early/late in the long summer days. So the seasonal comparison really depends on latitude and climate. A notable example: in high-latitude regions with snow, vertical bifacial was found to produce significantly in winter due to reflections, whereas many fixed-angle systems sat dormant under snow asahi.com.
Land Use & Density: Traditional solar farms often cover large continuous areas; basically wherever you have panels, the ground underneath is typically not usable (it becomes heavily shaded and filled with support racks). Some farms use that space for grazing sheep or planting wildflowers (to support pollinators), but you generally can’t do row crops under a blanket of solar panels. Vertical farms use land in strips – the panels themselves might only occupy a small percentage of the field area (often less than 5–10%, depending on row spacing). The rest of the land can get sun and rain and thus be used for agriculture or left as open space. In terms of pure capacity per acre, a tightly packed traditional farm might install, say, 30 MW on a square kilometer, whereas a vertical farm on the same area, due to spacing, might install much less capacity (maybe on the order of 10 MW, if rows are far apart for crops). However, that 10 MW is additional to whatever crop yield the land is giving, whereas the 30 MW farm displaces farming entirely. So, for energy-only use, traditional wins on watts per acre; for combined output (food + energy), vertical wins. Also, vertical panels can utilize marginal strips that traditional panels might ignore – e.g., the narrow edges of fields, along irrigation canals, highway right-of-ways, etc. In those places, comparing capacity per acre is moot because traditional farms wouldn’t be built there at all.
Maintenance & Operations: Both systems require maintenance (inverter checks, panel cleaning, vegetation management under panels, etc.). Traditional farms sometimes suffer from dust accumulation especially if panels are tilted at lower angles (dirt doesn’t slide off easily) – cleaning can be significant in deserts or dry areas. Vertical panels, as we noted, have self-cleaning advantages solarwa.org. Traditional farms might have easier access for maintenance vehicles (since they often have clear aisles and a more uniform layout), whereas vertical arrays might be literally fenced off rows which you access from the end or via dedicated paths. However, if the vertical array is integrated in a fence, maintenance could be as simple as patrolling a fence line, which is straightforward. The presence of crops or animals complicates vertical farm maintenance a bit – you can’t drive anywhere you want, you have to respect the crops or coordinate with farm schedule. Traditional farms usually keep vegetation low (sometimes by sheep grazing or mowing) to avoid shading; vertical farms need to keep tall crops from blocking panels, but if it’s the crop itself that’s valuable, you wouldn’t cut it – you’d choose compatible crops. There’s also more edge for wildlife in vertical farms – birds or rodents might navigate around panels differently than an open field. It remains to be seen if vertical arrays have higher or lower pest incidence (some farmers worry birds might perch on panel tops and leave droppings, etc., but again that can happen on any structure).
Energy Storage Needs: One of the touted benefits of vertical farms is reducing the need for batteries to shift solar energy to later in the day solarwa.org. A grid with only traditional solar might need a lot of storage or peaker plants to supply evening power once the sun sets. A grid with a mix including vertical solar would have more built-in late-day generation. That said, traditional farms can also address this by oversizing and adding storage, but at extra cost. If you imagine a 100 MW conventional solar farm versus a 100 MW vertical solar farm: the conventional one will dump a huge amount of power at noon (perhaps causing some to be wasted or sold cheaply) and then nothing at 6 PM; the vertical one will have more modest output at noon but still be producing some at 6 PM when the conventional is zero. So the conventional might need, say, a 25 MW battery to time-shift some noon energy to evening, whereas the vertical might get by with a much smaller battery or none at all because it naturally extends into the evening. This is why energy planners see a role for vertical PV in balancing grids. It’s almost like having a built-in “tracker” that tracks time-of-need rather than the sun’s exact position.
Complexity and Flexibility: Traditional solar is a well-oiled machine at this point – thousands of installers know how to deploy it, costs are well understood, and performance is very predictable. Vertical solar farms are newer; not as many firms have experience with them, and each site might require custom tweaks (for soil conditions, optimal row spacing, etc.). However, companies like Sunzaun, Next2Sun, and others are now offering pre-engineered solutions for vertical racking, which lowers the complexity for adopters solarwa.org. Traditional solar can also be installed on trackers to broaden its production (trackers follow the sun, giving more morning and afternoon energy than fixed tilt), but trackers add moving parts and maintenance. Vertical systems achieve a similar broad production without moving parts, which is a point in their favor. On the other hand, vertical systems are less flexible in one sense: you can’t adjust tilt seasonally or track the sun – they’re fixed by design. Traditional fixed-tilt systems can at least be optimized for the latitude (angle) or adjusted a couple of times a year if someone wanted to tweak winter vs. summer angle. In practice, though, most solar farms just stick at one tilt year-round.

To illustrate the comparison: a German energy expert described vertical agri-PV as a generator oriented east-west, lacking the big midday peak of conventional PV pveurope.eu. They noted this yields “fewer conflicts of use, better coverage of electricity demand and lower storage requirements” for the energy system pveurope.eu. Meanwhile, a conventional solar developer might counter that if land is available and you just want maximum megawatt-hours, a traditional layout (perhaps combined with a battery) might be simpler and cheaper. Both approaches have their place, and they’re not mutually exclusive – future solar farms might incorporate both types, with some panels vertical along perimeters and others traditional in the center of a field, optimizing land use and power output together.

In summary, traditional solar arrays excel at raw energy production and have a head start in cost and scale, but vertical bifacial arrays offer superior land-use efficiency for dual purposes and a more grid-friendly output profile. The choice will depend on project goals: if co-utilization of land and enhanced grid value are priorities, vertical is very attractive; if maximum output and lowest cost are king, traditional remains strong. As the energy landscape evolves (and as we integrate more solar into grids), the value of the vertical approach is expected to grow.

Current Deployments and Pilot Projects Worldwide

Vertical bifacial solar farms have moved from concept to reality in numerous pilot projects and even commercial deployments across the globe. As of 2025, here are some notable deployments and case studies demonstrating how the technology is being applied:

Germany & Central Europe: Germany has been a pioneer in vertical agrivoltaics. The startup Next2Sun, founded in 2015, built one of Europe’s first and largest vertical bifacial farms. In 2020 they completed a landmark 4.1 MW vertical agri-PV installation in Donaueschingen-Aasen (Baden-Württemberg) – rows of bifacial panels across farmland next2sun.com. Following that, Next2Sun expanded projects into neighboring countries: for example, a 1.9 MW plant in Neudorf, Austria (commissioned 2022) that combines pumpkin and soybean farming with vertical panels pv-magazine.com. That Austrian site has provided valuable data; farmers Peter Gsell and Josef Gründl, who own the system, reported that the presence of panels did not significantly alter soil moisture whether it was a dry or wet year pv-magazine.com, and harvest timings were roughly similar to conventional fields (with a slight extension for some crops like soy) pv-magazine.com. They also highlighted the low maintenance – since 2022 they hadn’t needed to clean the panels thanks to rain and snow keeping them clean pv-magazine.com. European interest is rapidly growing: Next2Sun executives revealed at Intersolar Europe 2025 that their annual installations doubled to 40 MW in 2024 (up from 20 MW the year prior) as demand surged in countries like Germany, France, and Italy pv-magazine.com. France and Italy, facing land constraints and policies encouraging agrivoltaics, have several trial sites and are planning dozens of megawatts of vertical solar in vineyards and crop fields. In Northern Europe (Netherlands, Belgium), where dairy farms and open fields are common, trials are underway to use vertical solar fences to generate energy without disturbing grazing cows. Even in snowy Switzerland, vertical panels have been integrated into highway noise barriers (the A13 motorway) to both reduce noise and generate power year-round 8msolar.com.
United States: The U.S. has picked up the agrivoltaic trend with a bit of a lag but is catching up quickly in 2024–2025. One milestone project is in Burlington, Vermont, where Next2Sun partnered with US company iSun to build the first commercial vertical agrivoltaic system in the country pveurope.eu. Construction began in 2024 on a 1.5-hectare site that will have 69 rows of bifacial panels, spaced ~30 feet (9.1 m) apart, with vegetables like carrots and beets cultivated between the rows pveurope.eu. Jeff Peck, CEO of iSun, said the vertical system preserves the “valuable land… almost completely” for agriculture, demonstrating the adaptability to farmers’ needs pveurope.eu. This Vermont project is a significant proof-of-concept for larger dual-use farms in the U.S. Meanwhile, research and pilot installations are popping up: Colorado State University’s Agricultural Research site installed vertical bifacial panel rows (using Sunzaun’s racking) in 2024 and successfully grew corn with standard farm equipment maneuvering through sandboxsolar.com. In New Jersey, Rutgers University set up a 170 kW vertical system at their research farm, supported by the state’s Clean Energy Program, to study impacts on forage crops and cattle grazing among the panels pv-magazine-usa.com. This project even includes animal shelters and watering stations under the panel rows to integrate with livestock operations pv-magazine-usa.com. On the smaller scale, some U.S. farmers have DIY-ed “solar fences” – for example, a farm in Colorado (Spring Hill Greens) retrofitted a 26 kW bifacial fence between greenhouses to meet its energy needs without sacrificing crop area solarwa.org. Industry figures like Helge Biernath of Sunzaun have been actively promoting vertical agrivoltaics through podcasts and webinars, noting that Europe and Asia are ahead but U.S. interest is growing rapidly as people recognize the land-use benefits sunzaun.com. Indeed, some U.S. solar developers now see agrivoltaics as a way to ease community acceptance of solar projects – by presenting them as agricultural enhancements rather than replacements. Lightstar Renewables, for example, announced agrivoltaic projects (e.g. in Massachusetts) where vertical panel rows will allow continued farming and even improve pollinator habitat, aiming to show local communities a different model of solar farm igrownews.com.
Japan & East Asia: Japan was an early adopter of the concept of solar sharing (agrivoltaics) out of necessity – limited land and a push to revitalize farming communities. The earliest vertical PV experiments in Japan date back over a decade asahi.com, but only recently have bifacial panels made the approach more efficient. The Ashikaga City rice paddy project (mentioned earlier) is a headline example: Installed in May 2024 by a company called Sharing Farm, it’s one of the first of its kind in Japan with modern bifacial tech asahi.com. The panels stand like rows of partitions in the rice field, and a drone-captured video of a rice planter machine weaving through the panel rows went viral, showcasing how farm operations can continue asahi.com. The fact that rice yields only dropped 5% impressed many observers asahi.com, and the project sells solar power to Marubeni Corporation for the grid asahi.com. Experts in Japan expect a proliferation of such setups, especially in northern regions like Hokkaido where heavy snowfall can cripple traditional solar arrays asahi.com. A JPEA (Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association) official projected 20–30% annual growth in vertical panel deployments, largely in those snowy locales asahi.com. Beyond Japan, other Asian countries are exploring vertical agrivoltaics: In South Korea, there’s interest in using vertical panels on the boundaries of rice fields (South Korea already built a famous 20-mile solar-covered bike lane, though that was more conventional solar). In China, the vast majority of solar is traditional, but researchers have tested vertical bifacial arrays in deserts, leveraging high albedo sands for backside gain solarwa.org. Notably, some Chinese manufacturers are now producing bifacial panels optimized for vertical mounting, anticipating a market for such systems globally pv-magazine.com. We can expect Asia’s dense and high-latitude countries (Japan, South Korea, parts of China) to be fertile ground for vertical solar farms in the coming years.
Other Regions: In arid regions like the Middle East or North Africa, vertical bifacial panels could be used for shade structures that double as solar generators – for instance, creating shaded canals or paths. While not strictly “farms,” these would be vertical installations to save water from evaporation (similar to the concept of covering canals with solar, which India and California have tried with flat panels). In Europe, aside from Germany, countries like Italy are investing in agrivoltaics to protect vineyards and orchards from extreme sun and hail – some Italian projects use elevated panels, but vertical ones are also considered where appropriate (such as along orchard rows). Africa has immense solar potential, and vertical systems might find a niche in community farming projects where providing both irrigation (through solar pumping) and crop protection is valuable. A startup in East Africa, for instance, is looking at agro-solar fences to keep elephants out of fields while generating power for villages – a creative dual purpose for vertical solar fences.

These deployments show a pattern: smaller pilot projects (often under a few hundred kW) to test the concept, followed by larger commercial projects (multiple MW) once confidence is built. By 2025, vertical solar farms are no longer just experimental. Germany alone has dozens of megawatts running; the U.S. has solid demonstrations underway; Japan has embraced the idea for its future landscape. Industry players are collaborating across borders – the Vermont project is a direct transfer of German tech to the U.S., and Japanese companies have visited European sites to learn best practices. Conferences on agrivoltaics now frequently highlight vertical systems as a key category (e.g., the AgriVoltaics 2024 conference had an entire “Vertical PV” technical tour in Germany agrivoltaics-conference.org).

Expert commentary underscores the significance of these real-world projects. “Bringing solar photovoltaics to agricultural land near urban hubs could reduce the need to curtail energy,” noted Helge Biernath, referencing California’s issues with solar overproduction and the benefit of generating closer to where power is used sunzaun.com. He also observed that Europe’s head start is partly because they “have less land” and had to innovate to use spaces smartly sunzaun.com. Now, with tangible successes, more stakeholders – from farmers to utility companies – are paying attention. It’s telling that even policymakers and researchers are getting involved: Fraunhofer ISE in Germany has spun off a dedicated agrivoltaics startup (Diveo GmbH) to help deploy systems including vertical ones pv-magazine.com, and governments are funding studies to refine regulations and performance models (like DOE in the U.S., and several EU-funded pilots). The global case studies so far suggest that with proper adaptation to local needs (crop types, weather, etc.), vertical solar farms can succeed in a variety of contexts.

Future Outlook and Innovations

As we look ahead, vertical solar farms with bifacial panels appear poised for significant growth and refinement. Here are some key future trends and innovations to watch for:

Scaling Up and Mainstream Adoption: What started as a niche concept is on the verge of scaling commercially. Industry analysts project rapid growth in agrivoltaics in general – a Global Market Insights report valued the agrivoltaics market at $6.3 billion in 2024 and sees steady growth through the 2020s gminsights.com. A substantial chunk of that could be vertical systems, given their appeal. In countries like Germany, vertical agri-PV is moving from pilot to policy-supported roll-out; the government’s 2023 renewable energy roadmap explicitly incorporates agrivoltaics as a key strategy for expanding solar without land conflict roedl.com. We may see specific incentives (feed-in tariffs or bonus credits) for agrivoltaic projects in more jurisdictions, which will accelerate adoption. Japan’s expected 20-30% annual increase in vertical panels (mostly in snowy regions) asahi.com indicates a fast ramp-up. If these rates hold, within 5 years vertical farms could form a noticeable portion of new solar capacity additions in those markets. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) also has provisions and funding that can cover agrivoltaic installations (for example, through USDA rural energy programs and DOE grants), which may indirectly boost vertical projects. The formation of new companies (like the Fraunhofer-backed Diveo in Germany pv-magazine.com) and partnerships (such as module maker Huasun teaming with Next2Sun to supply advanced bifacial panels pv-magazine.com) will likely streamline the supply chain and know-how for these systems.
Technology Improvements: Expect to see even better panel technology optimized for vertical use. Current bifacial panels have a bifaciality (rear efficiency relative to front) of around 70-95%. New designs, especially with heterojunction cells, are hitting >95% bifaciality pv-magazine.com, meaning the back side is almost as strong as the front side. This effectively maximizes what a vertical panel can do with reflected light. We might also see bifacial panels that are transparent to some degree (allowing more light through to crops) or panels that can change opacity. Another innovation could be integrated reflectors or diffusers: for instance, small reflectors at the base of panels to direct more light onto the backside in low-sun conditions. A concept by researchers involves vertical east-west bifacial panels with adjustable reflectors on the ground to boost winter output couleenergy.com – a sort of hybrid between concentrating solar and vertical PV. Materials are improving too: anti-reflective coatings that minimize glare (important if panels line highways or near homes) and anti-soiling coatings that further reduce dust sticking.
Smarter Design & Optimization: With more data from pilots, engineers are getting better at modeling vertical bifacial performance. Initially, standard PV simulation tools struggled to accurately predict energy yield for vertical bifacial arrays (due to the unusual geometry and albedo factors) sandboxsolar.com. Now, companies and researchers are fine-tuning these models, considering things like local weather patterns, precise ground reflectivity, row spacing, etc. We can expect design software specifically for agrivoltaics to emerge, allowing custom optimization: e.g., given a crop type and latitude, the software might suggest the ideal panel height, spacing, and orientation to balance crop growth and energy output. There’s also work being done on tracking vertical panels – it sounds counterintuitive, but one could have a vertical panel that in summer tilts a bit or swivels to adjust its angle slightly. Some experimental systems use a “dynamic” vertical setup where the panel can rotate 20-30° to east or west as needed (more complexity, but potentially more annual yield). However, many in the industry believe simplicity is key, and fixed vertical with bifacial is robust enough.
Integration with Energy Storage and Grid: As vertical solar farms proliferate, they will likely be paired with battery storage to create firmer power supply. Even though they reduce the need for storage by spreading generation, having some storage on-site can help shift any excess morning energy to evening peak or provide power on overcast days. The startup Diveo (from Fraunhofer ISE) explicitly aims to integrate agrivoltaics with battery systems, creating hybrid power plants on farms pv-magazine.com. We might see farmers using solar-plus-battery to not only sell power but also to run irrigation pumps on timing that matches solar output (saving water and energy). On a grid level, if many vertical farms come online, grid operators will incorporate their generation profiles into planning. This could lead to solar farms as grid assets that provide voltage support in mornings/evenings and complement wind or traditional solar. In essence, vertical solar could help mitigate the notorious “duck curve” (where net demand dips at noon and spikes at night) by filling in the duck’s belly and easing its neck.
Wider Range of Applications: The future might see vertical bifacial panels in places we haven’t yet considered typical. For example, urban agriculture – rooftops could have vertical solar panel rows with greenhouse gardening in between. This has been tried in small scales: vertical panels on flat roofs, oddly, can outperform tilted ones in snowy cities because the verticals keep producing in winter when tilted get snowed under pv-magazine.com. So city installations might adopt vertical panels on rooftops to optimize winter generation and free roof space for other uses (like HVAC units or rooftop gardens that can sit between vertical rows). Another potential area is greenhouse integration: installing bifacial panels vertically on the sides of greenhouses or in strips within greenhouse walls, which generate energy but still let sufficient light through for plants. Also, think of aquavoltaics – vertical panels in fish farms or ponds, where they act as partitions that generate power and perhaps provide shade that certain aquaculture species prefer.
Policy and Market Outlook: Policymakers are increasingly aware of agrivoltaics. The EU’s agricultural policy discussions have included making dual-use farms eligible for farm subsidies (so farmers aren’t penalized for having solar on their land). In the U.S., states like Massachusetts and New Jersey are establishing clear guidelines for dual-use so that farmers can get renewable energy credits while keeping land in ag production. We can expect more formal standards and best practices to be published – for instance, what height panels should be for different equipment, how to measure crop yield impacts accurately, etc. Certification of systems is also a step: Sunzaun’s vertical system recently passed UL certification in the U.S., the first of its kind to do so solarwa.org, which paves the way for easier permitting and bankability. If carbon markets and sustainability certifications grow, agrivoltaic products (like “solar grown” crops) might fetch a premium or provide additional incentives.
Public and Expert Opinion: Thus far, many experts are optimistic. Researchers often cite agrivoltaics as a key piece of a sustainable future. The tone of commentary is that it’s not just about renewable energy, but about rethinking how we use land in a holistic way. For instance, Chad Higgins (OSU) enthuses about synergy (more food and more energy) solarwa.org, and Helge Biernath (Sunzaun) passionately links agrivoltaics to securing our food biomass under climate change sunzaun.com. These narratives will likely become more mainstream – we’ll hear about solar farms that feed communities and farms that power communities in the same breath. One can imagine future news stories: e.g., “Family Farm Produces 100 Acres of Wheat and 2 MW of Solar Power” as a norm. Policy folks also like the idea of reducing land conflicts, which have stalled projects in the past. If vertical solar farms can demonstrate strong crop yields and happy farmers, it may turn some solar skeptics (like those worried about losing farmland) into supporters.

In innovation terms, we should also mention there are alternate vertical designs being tested: for example, V-shaped panel configurations (two panels joined in an inverted “V” so one faces east, one west) which can be mounted on a single pole – this can achieve a similar effect to a vertical fence but perhaps with less footprint and a bit of tilt on each side for extra output. Research in 2025 showed promise in modeling such V-shaped bifacial systems for certain crops solarfarmsummit.com. Another idea is movable agrivoltaics – panels that can slide or be removed during certain farming operations or seasons (for instance, deploying panels only in the offseason for a crop). However, the additional complexity might make that less attractive than just designing static systems that accommodate farming year-round.

The outlook is that vertical solar farming will transition from experimental to a standard option in the solar toolkit. Don’t be surprised if in a few years you drive by a farm and see what looks like a row of glass fences glinting in the sun, or if you hear about a large utility-scale project that opted for vertical bifacial layout to improve grid integration. The synergy of harvesting sunlight on two sides and sharing land between energy and agriculture is a compelling solution to multiple problems – and those kinds of solutions are exactly what the world needs more of.

To borrow the words of an early adopter, farmer Peter Gsell in Austria: “I am opposed to the use of photovoltaics on agricultural land” (meaning the old way of blanketing a field) “…however, [with vertical agrivoltaics] the land remains arable.” pv-magazine.com He didn’t even seriously consider traditional raised solar canopies because of shading concerns in Northern Europe pv-magazine.com, but the vertical approach changed his mind. That sentiment, once proven at scale, could change a lot of minds. Vertical solar farms show that solar energy and agriculture need not compete – they can literally stand side by side, to the benefit of both. The coming years will likely see this concept blossom from pilot patches to widespread fields of “solar crops” delivering clean power and real food together.

Conclusion

Vertical solar farms using bifacial panels represent a remarkable innovation at the intersection of renewable energy and land use. They turn fences, field margins, and other vertical spaces into power generators without displacing the primary use of the land. As we have seen, they offer a host of benefits: more distributed energy production across the day, continued agricultural output, reduced land footprint, and resilience in challenging climates (snow, heat, etc.). Real-world projects in 2024–2025 – from Japanese rice paddies to German pumpkin fields to American research farms – have validated that this approach can work, often exceeding expectations in maintaining crop yields and generating substantial electricity. Experts and industry leaders are increasingly championing agrivoltaics as a key strategy for a sustainable future, and policy frameworks are slowly evolving to support it.

Of course, challenges like higher initial costs and design complexities must be addressed, but ongoing innovations and economies of scale are rapidly improving the picture. The momentum is clearly building: companies are scaling up installations, farmers are sharing success stories, and researchers are developing better tools to optimize these systems. In a world where the pressures of climate change, food security, and energy needs are all mounting, vertical bifacial solar farms offer a compelling synergy – a way to multiply the productivity of land by stacking functions.

As one clean energy CEO urged, it’s time to think beyond incentives and recognize that integrating solar with agriculture might soon be a necessity, not just an option, to sustain both our food supply and our clean energy goals sunzaun.com. Standing at the midpoint of the 2020s, vertical solar farms are transitioning from experimental plots to commercial reality. They are revolutionizing both solar energy and farming, proving that with a bit of ingenuity, we can harvest the sun in more ways than one – and usher in a future where solar panels and crops grow side by side, powering and feeding the world together.

Sources

Sunzaun Blog – Vertical Solar Is Changing the Game (July 2025): Definition of vertical solar and advantages in commercial settings sunzaun.com.
Solar Washington – Vertical Bifacial Solar Panels Boost Energy, Save Space… (Mar 2024): Explanation of vertical bifacial panels, studies on output +5–30%, dual peaks and cooler operation solarwa.org.
Asahi Shimbun – Vertical solar panels set to alter the look of Japan’s farmland (Jul 6, 2025): Rice paddy agrivoltaic trial yields (5% drop), quote from Sharing Farm’s Taiki Akasaka on spreading tech, JPEA official on snow advantages & growth rate asahi.com.
pv magazine – A closer look at vertical agrivoltaics (Jul 11, 2025): Next2Sun’s 1.9 MW Austria project details – spacing 9.4 m, no cleaning needed, minimal crop timing impact, cost comparison (€200k vs €110k per MW), Huber quote on 25% higher value from bifacial + profile pv-magazine.com.
Sunzaun Blog – Clean Power Hour podcast summary (Jul 2025): Helge Biernath (Sunzaun CEO) quote urging agrivoltaics for future biomass yields, Tim Montague quote on plant stress reduction, U.S. vs Europe adoption gap, Sandbox Solar & CSU test site with corn, awareness/policy as hurdles sunzaun.com.
pv magazine – Next2Sun & iSun build first vertical agri-PV in US (Jan 2, 2024): Vermont project 1.5 ha, 69 rows spaced 9.14 m, crops between, Jeffrey Peck (iSun) quote on preserving land, Next2Sun CEO Heiko Hildebrandt quote on producing when conventional PV produces less, benefits for demand coverage and lower storage needs pveurope.eu.
pv magazine USA – New Jersey farm studies agrivoltaics (Apr 9, 2024): Rutgers 170 kW vertical system (Sunstall/Sunzaun), cattle grazing & forage with vertical panels, funded by NJ state, ZnShine 450 W bifacial modules, prior Sunzaun vineyard install, Belgium study on reduced irrigation water, OSU study 20% of US electricity & 330k tons CO₂ reduction, Chad Higgins quote “agrivoltaics provide true synergy…more food, more energy, lower water demand…” pv-magazine-usa.com, solarwa.org.
pv magazine – The rise of vertical agrivoltaics (May 22, 2025): Intersolar 2025 interview – Next2Sun doubled installations to 40 MW in 2024, vertical PV growing in Italy, Germany, France pv-magazine.com.