Loading content...

Blog 23.09.2025

Agrivoltaics under new rules

What changes under the amendment to the Agricultural Land Act?

At the beginning of September 2025, the National Assembly held the first reading of the draft amendment to the Agricultural Land Act (ZKZ-H). The proposal introduces several important changes: the designation of permanently protected agricultural land, the doubling of compensation for the change of land use, the expansion of eligible investors in state irrigation systems, and, above all, amendments concerning agrivoltaics.

How is agrivoltaics defined?

Agrivoltaics refers to the installation and use of photovoltaic devices on agricultural land without changing its designated use, in a way that primarily enables the land to be used for agricultural production and secondarily for the generation, storage, and transmission of electricity to the grid, while ensuring that sufficient sunlight still reaches the crops to allow agricultural production to continue to the greatest possible extent.

What are the conditions for setting up agrivoltaics?

The amended Article 3.čc of the draft sets out the conditions for installing agrivoltaics. Such installations will only be permitted on agricultural land with a soil rating of up to 35, which, according to the land use registry, is classified either as agricultural land in overgrowth (provided it is cleaned beforehand and permanent grassland is established on it) or as permanent grassland. Agrivoltaics must be designed in such a way as to allow for regular mowing of the grass or grazing of animals, while the type and method of installation must be adapted to the terrain and the use of the land. A specific restriction applies to areas with existing or planned irrigation systems, where installations will not be permitted, as they could significantly interfere with their operation and planning. More detailed conditions will be laid down in a subordinate regulation – the Rules on detailed conditions for the installation of agrivoltaics.

Despite these restrictions, the ZKZ-H introduces the possibility of pilot projects, which may be carried out on all types of agricultural land. These projects will be aimed at studying the combined use of agricultural production and electricity generation from solar energy. Since there is currently no data on the impact of photovoltaic devices on agricultural production, the ZKZ-H does not presently allow their installation either on greenhouses or on auxiliary agricultural and forestry equipment. This option will only be reconsidered after the implementation of pilot projects, the results of which will form the basis for possible future legislative amendments.

For the installation of agrophotovoltaics, investors will be required to obtain a decision from the Ministry of Agriculture and submit a report (sl. elaborat) to their application demonstrating compliance with the prescribed conditions. Installations must also conform to municipal spatial plans. The installation of agrivoltaics without the ministry’s decision, or in violation of it, will be subject to fines, which vary depending on the status of the offender – legal entities (with higher amounts for medium-sized and large companies), sole proprietors, as well as their responsible persons and private individuals, may all be sanctioned.

Conclusion

In July 2025, the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia presented the country’s first pilot agrivoltaics project in an experimental orchard, combining food production and solar energy generation on the same agricultural land. Solar panels with a total capacity of approximately 52 kW were installed on smaller areas of apple orchards. The project studies the impact of different panel layouts and light transmittance on tree growth, photosynthesis, crop quality, and plant protection against weather extremes such as hail, frost, and excessive solar radiation. Particular emphasis is placed on finding solutions that enable the most harmonious possible balance between agricultural and energy use of land.

The debate on agrivoltaics therefore remains open, situated between two fundamental goals: protecting agricultural land as a limited natural resource that ensures food security, and enabling its partial use to meet the objectives of the energy transition. The proposed regulation seeks to establish this balance by setting clear conditions, restrictions, and supervisory mechanisms. Only the development of practice and further research will show to what extent agrivoltaics can genuinely contribute to sustainable development without jeopardising agricultural land.

Author