Our agrivoltaic structures cut water use by up to 40 % and protect crops from extreme heat

Summer 2025 was, according to AEMET, the hottest on record in Spain: 2.1 °C above the historical reference, 33 days of heatwave and peaks above 45 °C in the centre and south of the peninsula. In the fields this meant flower abortion in peppers and aubergines, premature fruit drop in olive groves, loss of berry size in vineyards and early drying of pastures. In 2026, early heatwaves are once again putting the summer season at maximum risk.

After four years of measurements in active projects, our agrivoltaic structures have become a concrete technical response to extreme heat and water scarcity.

A microclimate that changes the rules of the crop

When a field under direct sun reaches 45 to 55 °C at soil and plant level, under our structures the temperature drops by 4 to 7 °C in the central hours of the day. With less direct radiation and surface evaporation, soil moisture is retained longer and irrigation demand falls by up to 40 %: less pumping, less pressure on water reserves and lower operating cost per season.

“What happens under the structures is not just that it is cooler. The crop stops fighting the environment and starts working with it.”
José Antonio Maldonado, CEO and founder of Alphatracker

Yield intact

Three years of monitoring in active projects show a minimum yield of 98 % versus a control field, with quality gains from reduced sunburn. In vines, for example, less direct exposure favours more balanced ripening and moderates the alcohol content of the wine. Our structures adjust panel density, orientation and height to each crop and latitude, and are compatible with kiwi, berries, olives, citrus, melon, aromatic herbs and pasture.

The sector’s moment

Spain is the first European country with a national interactive map of agrivoltaic projects; since October 2025 the reform of the CAP Strategic Plan recognises agrivoltaic systems as eligible area for aid, and in June 2026 IDAE raised its second call for agrivoltaics-with-storage grants to €368.5 million.

“Agrivoltaic structures are not a future solution for the fields. They are a response available now, this season, to a problem that is already here.”
José Antonio Maldonado

Source and media coverage: Energética 21.