A tale of dual-land and dual-spectrum utilisation: Down-conversion materials-based Agrivoltaic

Agrivoltaics (AgriPV), which combines photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation with agricultural production on the same land, has been increasingly investigated worldwide, with field trials established in countries including Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Chile. In Australia, the rapid expansion of large-scale solar development has intensified competition for productive agricultural land. AgriPV offers a potential solution by improving land-use efficiency while providing additional benefits, such as reduced crop heat stress, lower water loss and protection from extreme weather conditions. In conventional agriPV systems, PV modules are positioned above or adjacent to crops to enable the simultaneous production of energy and food. Appropriate system design and module spacing can maintain sufficient light availability, while partial shading reduces excessive solar exposure and may maintain or, under suitable conditions, improve crop productivity. However, most conventional systems rely on opaque crystalline-silicon modules, which reduce the amount of photosynthetically active radiation reaching the underlying crops. This limitation has motivated the development of spectrally selective agriPV approaches that more effectively allocate different portions of the solar spectrum between crop growth and photovoltaic conversion. In particular, luminescent down-conversion materials provide a promising strategy by selectively absorbing less agriculturally useful wavelengths and re-emitting them at longer wavelengths that are better matched to crop photosynthesis and/or the spectral response of PV devices. Such spectral management offers an alternative to conventional shading-based agriPV and forms the basis of this project. The students, therefore, will focus on the development and experimental evaluation of a novel agriPV module incorporating down-conversion materials, with the aim of improving solar-spectrum utilisation for both photovoltaic electricity generation and crop growth. They will gain hands-on experience in preparing luminescent materials and thin films, fabricating prototype agriPV modules, and characterising their optical and PV performance using research-grade equipment. The project also provides scope to explore how material properties, light spectra, and device design influence both solar-cell performance and plant growth. By contributing to the development of an emerging agriPV technology, with direct relevance to Australia’s renewable-energy and agricultural sectors, the students will gain practical research skills while working on a real-world sustainability challenge.