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Abstract

Agrivoltaics (AV) enables the simultaneous use of land for solar energy generation and agricultural production. While AV has been widely studied from technical and economic perspectives, limited attention has been paid to market acceptance among farmers, particularly in Japan, where adoption remains constrained despite policy interest in renewable energy and rural revitalization. Existing studies identify regulatory, financial, and technical barriers, but insufficiently explain how farmer-level acceptance is shaped across different agricultural contexts or how project co-benefits can support adoption. This study examines farmers’ market acceptance of AV in Japan through a multi-case analysis of six projects in rice-cultivation areas, mountainous regions, and disaster-affected lands. Using a co-benefits approach and a DPSIR-based synthesis, the study identifies recurring mechanisms that enabled adoption across the cases. Four categories of enablers were consistently observed: education and promotional programs, public outreach and demonstration activities, government and policy support, and collaboration among farmers, local governments, universities, and private actors. These were identified through cross-case comparison of implementation conditions, support measures, and reported project outcomes. The findings show that economic co-benefits were documented in all six cases (6/6; 100%), making them the most consistent farmer-facing benefit, particularly through additional income, reduced market uncertainty, and local employment creation. Political and institutional co-benefits were also documented in all six cases (6/6; 100%), while local-government AV promotion programs and municipality-supportive policies were each documented in five of six cases (5/6; 83.3%). Environmental and social co-benefits were identified in two cases each (2/6; 33.3%), and climate-related co-benefits in one case (1/6; 16.7%). Observability, training, and institutional support also played important roles in reducing perceived risks. The study shows that AV adoption in Japan depends not only on technical feasibility but also on the visible delivery of economic and social value, offering policy-relevant insights for wider deployment.

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