In 2025, researchers in Italy’s Puglia region grew grapevines beneath solar panels; the shaded vines produced 277% more grapes than those in full sun

Since the beginning of viticulture, the basic law has always been the same: vines thrive on the sun and plenty of it. However, it is somewhat surprising that some of the most productive grapevines that exist in Italy today were intentionally deprived of sunshine. Grapevines planted beneath the solar panels can be more productive than those grown in open air by a large margin, which sounds like an error but in fact it is a scientifically reviewed research result.

According to a 2025 paper titled “Exploring the Grape Agrivoltaic System: Climate Modulation and Vine Benefits in the Puglia Region, Southeastern Italy,” in the journal Horticulturae, a group of researchers from the University of Bari in Italy placed photovoltaic panels above grapevines grown in Puglia, a Mediterranean region of Italy known for hot, dry summers, and found that the grapevines that grew in shadow of the panels had 277% increased productivity than those cultivated in sunny conditions. The researchers reported that shading from the panels increased soil moisture and moderated soil temperature, benefiting the vines.

Why shade turned out to be a growth hack, not a growth killer


In the history of agriculture, the default assumption was that "more sun meant more harvest". Grapevines seem not to follow the pattern, at least in regions where the summer gets warmer and drier. The Horticulturae study found that the panels reduced the heat stress on grapevines and created a better microclimate around the plants. In turn, the vines were able to conserve energy by retaining more moisture and use it to produce fruit.

The researchers also noted improved bud fruitfulness on the shaded canes, which set up the potential for a good harvest the following year as well. It is worth mentioning that the effect is not only an interesting laboratory discovery but a part of a larger area: agrivoltaics. It refers to solar panels coexisting with crops in the same plot of land.

Not every vine can adapt to this

"Shade is magic" is not the whole truth. As discovered by scientists who conducted research in Scientia Horticulturae on photovoltaic shade application in Corvina grapevines grown in the northern region of Italy, Veneto, over three growing seasons in 2023, the results were rather opposite: yields fell a bit, along with anthocyanin, phenol, and sugar content in grapes.

The system that gave such excellent results in the warm and arid Puglia did not work as well in the cool climate. What the scientists emphasize again and again is that agrivoltaics is not an improvement for all cases of viticulture and has to be adjusted to the appropriate climatic conditions and shading level.

What this actually means

In an April 2025 Applied Energy paper titled “Bringing solar to agriculture: An interdisciplinary design and analysis of a Concord grape agrivoltaic system,” from Cornell University researchers, scientists modeled a different kind of setup: rather than overhead panels like the ones used in Puglia, they modeled vertical bifacial solar panels installed in place of every fifth row of vines in Concord grape vineyards near Lake Erie, New York, one of the country's oldest and most productive grape-growing regions. The model found that this arrangement could generate roughly $400 more profit per acre each year, largely through reduced crop losses and on-site electricity generation.

That is real money in a region where Concord grapes, grown almost exclusively for juice rather than wine, operate on thin margins. With around 30,000 acres of Concord vineyards in the area, and mounting pressure on agricultural land from both climate change and competition for solar development, agrivoltaics has gone from a niche idea to a genuine economic consideration for local farmers.

The bottom line

The 277% number from Puglia is real, peer-reviewed, and truly fascinating. But it comes from one climate, one grape variety, and one panel configuration. What the research really tells us is this: shade can be a valid adaptation tool for grapes, but only if the shade is designed for its particular environment. For U.S. growers watching the costs of water and energy rise, this might be a better topic of conversation.