While working as an MS Graduate Fellow in the Geomatics for Sustainability and Renewable Energy (SuRE) Research Laboratory at the University of the Philippines Diliman, my research focus was on the geospatial assessment of agrivoltaics’ potential in the Philippines. It wasn’t really my original research direction. I first explored the carrying capacity of solar farms on croplands—until I read deeper into the topic and felt like I had hit a dead end. It was Dr. Principe who redirected me, suggesting I look into agrivoltaics instead. At that time, I didn’t realize how his suggestion would change my research career forever.
Working on the topic helped me learn how agrivoltaics could alleviate land-use conflicts that traditional solar projects often face, which resulted in academic presentations and publications that I believe became a good starting point for conversations, especially since agrivoltaics is not widely discussed and adopted in the Philippines.
Agrivoltaics is a system in which energy generation from solar photovoltaics and agricultural production occur on the same land. It was conceptualized by Goetzberget and Zastrow in 19811, who showed how the combined use of land enhances its utility.
Jamil & Pearce (2026)2 summarized from previous studies the environmental and microclimatic benefits associated with agrivoltaic systems, which include: increased air humidity, reduced air temperature, reduced soil temperature, reduced groundwater depletion, increased soil water content, increased biodiversity, reduced acidification, increased vegetation growth, lower transpiration rate, and reduced deforestation.
In another study, Jamil & Pearce (2026)3 presented five distinct agrivoltaic configurations, as shown in the image below:
My research led me to connect with Dr. Marvin Cinense, Director of the Phil-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilSCAT), who led the agrivoltaics research project at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in the Philippines. With the help of my Lab Head, Dr. Jeark Principe and the Department of Geodetic Engineering, I arranged a site visit to CLSU through Dr. Cinense to bring my research into the field and see firsthand what agrivoltaics looks and feels like in practice.
Dr. Cinense graciously hosted our visit on November 26, 2024, and shared his passion for this innovative and emerging field. The visit reinforced my belief in the importance of agrivoltaics research and its potential to revolutionize how we approach agriculture and energy production.
The site visit made me excited about the future of agrivoltaics in the Philippines and hopeful to see more open-field research projects in the coming years. I believe that investing in agrivoltaics R&D can pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient future for both our agricultural and energy sectors.
During the 2025 Mindanao Renewable Energy Research Colloquium held at Ateneo de Davao University on January 16-17, 2025, I presented on how Mindanao can meet its renewable energy targets and preserve agriculture through agrivoltaics.
I completed my engagement with SuRE Lab as an MS Graduate Fellow with a poster presentation at the Philippine Geomatics Symposium (PhilGEOS) 2025, held at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
While I was worried that no one would visit my poster or ask questions about my research and findings, I was relieved to see people show interest in the feasibility of agrivoltaics in the country; some even asked about its potential on their farmlands.
It was my first time doing a poster presentation, and I was surprised by how social the experience was. The excitement of not knowing what participants would ask you, and the feeling of knowing what to respond because you’ve been working on the topic for more than a year already, made the experience exhilarating and fun. The research I presented during the PhilGEOS 2025 was published in the ISPRS Archives, which you can read here.
All of this—the research, the site visit, the conversations at academic gatherings—is just the beginning. The agrivoltaics work I did as an MS Graduate Fellow eventually led me to apply for a PhD position at Western University under the supervision of Dr. Joshua Pearce, whose research I had been citing throughout my own. This fall, I’ll be going deeper into agrivoltaics: the economics, the social dimensions, and what it actually takes for a farmer to adopt it. I can’t wait to see where my research questions lead.
References
- Goetzberger, A., Zastrow, A., 1982. On the Coexistence of Solar-Energy Conversion and Plant Cultivation. International Journal of Solar Energy 1, 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425918208909875
↩︎ - Jamil, U., Pearce, J.M., 2026. Agrivoltaics as a systems innovation: Multi-dimensional benefits from global studies across climate, agriculture, energy, and ecosystems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 230, 116721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2026.116721
↩︎ - Jamil, U., Pearce, J.M., 2026. Social acceptance of agrivoltaics in Canada: Insights on public perceptions across technologies and provinces from a nationwide survey. Journal of Rural Studies 123, 104068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104068
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