Agrivoltaics: Frontiers and opportunities for new research
Join us for the next session in SLU’s Climate Conversations series! This webinar explores the exciting potential of agrivoltaic systems – innovative solutions that combine agriculture with solar energy production.
Date: 5 November 2025
Time: 09:30 - 12:00
Organiser: SLU Future Platforms and SLU Global
Location: Online
The webinar will open with two keynote speakers from Germany and England, respectively, on the challenges and possibilities that agrivoltaic systems bring. Two additional speakers will then share their perspectives, drawing on both national and international experiences. The session concludes with a short panel discussion followed by an open discussion, giving participants the chance to reflect, ask questions, and engage with the topic.
This external event will be followed by an internal SLU event on Nov 20th: Agrivoltaics: Cultivating internal synergies and next steps at SLU
Programme
- Welcome! Nina Vogel and Anders Larsson
- Agrivoltaics in Germany, Leonhard Gfüllner
- Agrovoltaics in England, Jonathan Cooper
- Agrivoltaics at Kärrbo Prästgård, Ulf Andersson
- The EU Interreg project “Agrivoltaics in our farmlands”, Mads Lykke Andersen
- Panel discussion
- Questions and discussion
Participants
- Nina Vogel, programme manager at SLU Urban Futures
- Leonhard Gfüllner, scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE)
- Jonathan Cooper, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Technology and Geography at Harper Adams University, UK
- Ulf Andersson, owner and farmer, Kärrbo Prästgård
- Mads Lykke Andersen, Head of Technology Development at European Energy (EE)
Moderator: Anders Larsson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management, SLU
About the participants
Dr Jonathan Cooper is Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Technology and Geography at Harper Adams University, a specialist agricultural institution in the United Kingdom. His research interests include environmental land management, sustainability transitions and renewable energy, including agrivoltaics.
Leonhard Gfüllner is a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) specializing in agrivoltaics – combining solar energy with agriculture. Over the past five years he has worked across agronomy and engineering to design and assess systems that enhance land-use efficiency, crop resilience, and clean power generation. Leonhard collaborates with farmers, industry partners, and researchers to translate data-driven insights into practical field solutions.
Ulf Andersson runs Kärrbo Prästgård together with his wife Sofie Berglund and their three daughters. The farm focuses its work on multifunctionality, where the key sustainability transition of the farm was to stop producing and using grains for animal feed 25 years ago and instead focusing on grazing animals and grains for human consumption. Kärrbo Prästgård lets energy consumption steer strategic decisions at the farm, and since 2021, Mälardalens universitet are running an agrivoltaics research project at the farm, making it the first up-and-running agrivoltaics system in Sweden.
Mads Lykke Andersen oversees Technology Development at European Energy (EE). The company has been pivotal in advancing tracker designs for AgriPV applications and preparing EE to incorporate AgriPV into its portfolio. Having engaged in multiple AgriPV projects, they are eager to explore implementations that enable AgriPV to significantly contribute to the green transition.
Organisers
The Future Platforms at SLU and SLU Global.
Read more about the Climate Conversations at SLU.
Climate Conversations at SLU
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) launched its sixth assessment report in 2021 and 2022. In relation to these launches, SLU Global and SLU's four Future Platforms, SLU Future Food, SLU Future Forests, SLU Future One Health and SLU Urban Futures, joined forces and started a series of Climate Conversations – a webinar series based on research, including both internal SLU conversations and open webinars welcoming anyone interested to join.
Read more about the Climate Conversations at SLU.