AGRIVOLTAICS THROUGH AN ESG LENS: ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE DIMENSIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR UZBEKISTAN
Abstract
The article examined agrivoltaics for sustainable agriculture through environmental, social and governance criteria. A structured narrative review and synthesis of official information on Uzbekistan informed a conceptual assessment framework. Relationships involving land use, water consumption, electricity generation, crop productivity, farmer income and stakeholder participation were analysed. Eighteen monitoring indicators were proposed across three dimensions. Outcomes were shown to depend on crops, local climate, technical design and governance arrangements. Priorities for Uzbekistan included pilot trials, irrigation metering, agreed benefit sharing and institutional coordination. The need to validate the framework using local observations and comparisons with appropriate agricultural control plots was acknowledged.Keywords
agrivoltaics, ESG criteria, sustainable agriculture, water efficiency, solar energy, farmer participation, benefit sharing, Uzbekistan
References
- Barron-Gafford, G. A., Pavao-Zuckerman, M. A., Minor, R. L., Sutter, L. F., Barnett-Moreno, I., Blackett, D. T., Thompson, M., Dimond, K., Gerlak, A. K., Nabhan, G. P., & Macknick, J. E. (2019). Agrivoltaics provide mutual benefits across the food-energy-water nexus in drylands. Nature Sustainability, 2, 848-855. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0364-5
- Carrausse, R., & Arnauld de Sartre, X. (2023). Does agrivoltaism reconcile energy and agriculture? Lessons from a French case study. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 13, 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-023-00387-3
- Chen, X., & Shaw, R. (2026). Integration of sustainability dimensions with decision-making science: A systematic literature review of agrivoltaics. Sustainable Energy Research, 13, 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40807-026-00257-4
- Dinesh, H., & Pearce, J. M. (2016). The potential of agrivoltaic systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54, 299-308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.10.024
- Dupraz, C., Marrou, H., Talbot, G., Dufour, L., Nogier, A., & Ferard, Y. (2011). Combining solar photovoltaic panels and food crops for optimising land use: Towards new agrivoltaic schemes. Renewable Energy, 36(10), 2725-2732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2011.03.005
- Government of Uzbekistan. (2025a). Public hearings were held in Tashkent District on major solar panel installation project. Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change
- Government of Uzbekistan. (2025b, December 5). Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the forum “Powering the Future - Sustainable Energy for New Uzbekistan”. https://president.uz/en/lists/view/8751
- Malu, P. R., Sharma, U. S., & Pearce, J. M. (2017). Agrivoltaic potential on grape farms in India. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 23, 104-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2017.08.004
- Pascaris, A. S., Schelly, C., Burnham, L., & Pearce, J. M. (2021). Integrating solar energy with agriculture: Industry perspectives on the market, community, and socio-political dimensions of agrivoltaics. Energy Research & Social Science, 75, 102023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102023
- Pascaris, A. S., Swanson, T., Seay-Fleming, C., Gerlak, A. K., McCall, J., Barron-Gafford, G. A., & Macknick, J. (2026). Exploring the effects of policy on stakeholder adoption and deployment of agrivoltaics: A case study of Massachusetts. Energy Policy, 208, 114921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114921
- Senturk, B., Oylek, Y., Kanar, Z. S., Celik, R., Kurtulus, G., & Ozden, T. (2025). The impact of photovoltaic panels on the environment and yield parameters in an open field agrivoltaic system: A case study in Ayaş, Ankara. Renewable Energy, 253, 123553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2025.123553
- Tomasi, S., Pellegrini, C., Gaspari, F., Vitale, S., Macarulla Martí, M., Gras, A., & Gantioler, S. (2025). Agrivoltaics as a win-win for rural regions? Energy and environmental justice perspectives across Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Energy Research & Social Science, 129, 104369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.104369
- Torma, G., & Aschemann-Witzel, J. (2023). Social acceptance of dual land use approaches: Stakeholders’ perceptions of the drivers and barriers confronting agrivoltaics diffusion. Journal of Rural Studies, 97, 610-625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.01.014
- Trommsdorff, M., Vorast, M., Durga, N., & Padwardhan, S. (2021). Potential of agrivoltaics to contribute to socio-economic sustainability: A case study in Maharashtra/India. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2361, 040001 (Agrivoltaics2020 Conference: Launching Agrivoltaics World-wide)
- Ukwu, U. N., Muller, O., Meier-Grüll, M., et al. (2025). Agrivoltaics shading enhanced the microclimate, photosynthesis, growth and yields of Vigna radiata genotypes in tropical Nigeria. Scientific Reports, 15, 1190. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84216-3
- Wagner, J., Bühner, C., Gölz, S., Trommsdorff, M., & Jürkenbeck, K. (2024). Factors influencing the willingness to use agrivoltaics: A quantitative study among German farmers. Applied Energy, 361, 122934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.122934
- Weselek, A., Ehmann, A., Zikeli, S., Lewandowski, I., Schindele, S., & Högy, P. (2019). Agrophotovoltaic systems: Applications, challenges, and opportunities. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 39(4), 35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-019-0581-3
- World Bank. (2023). Uzbekistan Country Climate and Development Report. World Bank Group. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/40608
- World Bank. (2025, May 21). Uzbekistan to modernize its irrigation infrastructure with World Bank support [Press release]. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/05/21/uzbekistan-to-modernize-its-irrigation-infrastructure-with-world-bank-support
- Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PQ-436 of December 2, 2022 “On measures to increase the effectiveness of reforms aimed at the transition of the Republic of Uzbekistan to a green economy until 2030”. https://lex.uz/docs/6303230
- Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PQ-4477 of October 4, 2019 “On approval of the Strategy for the transition of the Republic of Uzbekistan to a green economy for the period 2019-2030”. https://lex.uz/docs/4539502
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.