Edinburgh Napier University

  Agrivoltaics (APV) offer an innovative solution to the pressing energy and food security challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Over 600 million people in this region lack access to energy, and food insecurity remains pervasive. By combining photovoltaic (PV) systems with agricultural production, APV optimizes land-use efficiency, enabling concurrent renewable energy generation and enhancing agricultural productivity. This review critically evaluates the potential of APV systems to address these dual challenges, focusing on SSA’s unique socioeconomic and environmental contexts. Key findings highlight the APV’s ability to mitigate agricultural constraints, such as water scarcity and climate variability, while providing decentralized energy solutions to rural communities. The analysis emphasizes strategic APV design considerations, including panel height, spacing, and crop compatibility, which are essential for optimizing energy and crop yields. However, challenges such as high initial costs, limited technical capacity, and sociocultural acceptance pose significant barriers to its widespread adoption. This review discusses policy recommendations for addressing these barriers, including financial incentives, technology transfer frameworks, and stakeholder engagement strategies. The novelty of this work lies in its tailored approach to SSA, integrating evidence from global APV case studies and proposing localized implementation strategies that align with the region’s development priorities. This study advances the understanding of APV as a pathway to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in SSA by offering a dual-purpose model for energy access and food security. Overcoming adoption barriers through innovative governance, research, and community engagement will be pivotal to unlocking the transformative potential of APV in SSA’s energy-food landscape.