Aargau project tests whether solar power and farming can share land

A 600-kilowatt-peak solar facility is rising above farmland in Suhr, Aargau, as construction begins on a test of whether crops and electricity can share the same ground. Swiss energy company Axpo, the canton of Aargau and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, known as FiBL, are developing the project as part of the canton’s AgriSolar Research programme.

The installation will combine crop cultivation with photovoltaic generation on one plot. Its module racks will sit approximately three metres above the field, leaving space for farming equipment and crops beneath. A tracking system will adjust the panels’ orientation according to the season.

The project arrives as Switzerland searches for additional renewable electricity while pressure grows around land use. Solar installations can compete with agriculture when they occupy open ground, particularly in a country where available land is limited and farming remains central to rural economies. Agri-photovoltaics offers a way to test whether a single site can perform both functions.

Axpo said the facility will supply all of its electricity directly to the Emmi site, where the Swiss dairy foods processor will consume it. That arrangement gives the pilot a local industrial customer as well as an agricultural purpose. Construction was announced on October 9, 2026.

FiBL will compare the solar-covered land with an eastern reference area to establish what the panels change on the ground. The trial covers 279 acres, while the solar modules occupy around 120 acres of that area. This layout gives researchers a basis for comparing fields managed under similar conditions.

The study will track crop yields, biodiversity and water flow. Researchers will also examine how cereals and maize respond to drought. Those measurements will determine whether the structures affect plant growth, soil conditions and the movement of rainwater through the field.

The panels’ seasonal tracking system adds another variable. Their orientation can change during the year, altering the amount of shade cast on the crops and the solar electricity produced. The elevated design also changes how rain reaches the ground and how machinery can move through the site.

The project does not assume that every crop will respond in the same way. Cereals and maize have different growing patterns and water needs, so the comparison could reveal where agri-photovoltaics works best and where it creates practical limits. FiBL’s role is to collect evidence across agricultural and ecological measures rather than judge the installation by electricity output alone.

That evidence will matter to farmers and planners deciding whether the technology belongs on productive farmland, orchards or other agricultural sites.

The installation’s three-metre clearance is designed to keep the land usable for agriculture while producing electricity above it. Steel profiles embedded in the ground will support the module racks, according to Axpo. The structure must accommodate both solar equipment and the routines of farming, including access for machinery and seasonal work.

The practical test will extend beyond plant growth. Farmers need to know whether the structures complicate sowing, harvesting or maintenance, and whether the land can continue to deliver reliable yields. The project description does not yet provide results on those questions because construction is still under way.

Water management will be another important measure. The panels may change where rain lands and how quickly it reaches the soil. Researchers will monitor water flow alongside biodiversity, giving the trial a broader scope than a standard solar performance assessment.

The drought component reflects a growing concern for Swiss agriculture. By examining cereals and maize under changing shade and moisture conditions, FiBL will assess whether the system affects how crops cope with dry periods. Any benefit or disadvantage will need to be weighed against the electricity produced.

A successful design would have to work in the field, not only on an engineering plan. Its value will depend on whether farmers can operate around the structures and whether agricultural production remains stable across several seasons.

Emmi will use the project’s electricity directly on site, creating a short link between a Swiss field and industrial energy demand. Axpo says the facility’s output will be supplied entirely to the dairy foods processor and consumed at the Emmi site. The arrangement avoids presenting the pilot solely as a remote power plant and ties generation to a known local user.

That local connection also gives the project a clear operational focus. Electricity production will take place alongside agriculture, while the industrial customer provides a destination for the power. The partnership brings together Axpo’s energy expertise, Aargau’s regional role, FiBL’s agricultural research and Emmi’s demand for electricity.

The project forms part of a wider cantonal effort. It is the second of three planned pilot plants in Aargau. The first is located above an orchard at FiBL’s site in Frick. Comparing different agricultural settings could help researchers identify whether the technology performs differently over orchards, cereals or maize.

Axpo has also gained experience through its subsidiary Urbasolar in France and Italy, according to the company. The Suhr project will place that experience in a Swiss farming context, where land availability, agricultural practices and local planning conditions shape the debate.

The pilot’s immediate purpose is research. Its longer-term significance will depend on whether the results can support designs that farmers, energy companies and cantonal authorities can use elsewhere.

The Suhr trial will help determine where Switzerland can expand solar generation without deepening disputes over farmland. The country needs more renewable electricity, yet every new installation raises questions about landscape, food production and the use of open land. Agri-photovoltaics offers a possible way to combine functions, but the technology must prove that the compromise works for farmers as well as energy producers.

The results will come from repeated measurements rather than a single season. FiBL plans to compare yields, biodiversity, water flow and drought responses against the eastern reference area. Those findings can show whether the panels support, reduce or leave unchanged the performance of different crops.

Aargau’s three-project programme creates an opportunity to compare sites and agricultural uses. The first pilot above an orchard in Frick and the new facility in Suhr can provide evidence from different cultivation systems. The third planned plant could add another set of conditions to the research.

For Swiss communities, the outcome will shape future decisions about siting. A project that keeps fields productive and supplies nearby industry could strengthen support for carefully planned installations. Poor agricultural performance or difficult farm operations would set clearer limits.

For now, Suhr is a working experiment. Its value will be measured in harvests, water data, ecological observations and dependable electricity production, with the next phase taking place beneath the panels.