EAGER Co-Coaching Exchange Highlights Regional Innovation in Agri-PV Governance
Partners from Germany, Belgium, and Bulgaria recently met online for an interregional co-coaching exchange to share progress on their regional policy developments and explore practical approaches for supporting the regional management of Agri-PV. The session provided an opportunity to compare regulatory frameworks, planning tools, and policy recommendations, while identifying transferable practices that can strengthen regional decision-making.
During the meeting, the German partner presented the draft site selection concept for its municipality in Ruhstorf, highlighting key elements of the DIN SPEC 91434 framework for Agri-PV. The presentation covered technical and agricultural requirements, including the distinction between elevated and ground-mounted Agri-PV systems, minimum crop yield thresholds, limits on agricultural land-use impacts, and the requirement for regular expert verification of agricultural performance. Germany also shared its open-space photovoltaic site selection process and suitability mapping approach, demonstrating how municipalities can identify appropriate locations for renewable energy development while considering nature protection and agricultural production.
The Belgian partner introduced its Agri-PV decision tree and position paper, which are partly based on the regulatory framework of the Flemish Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries and the Department of Environment. The presentation outlined key principles, including maintaining agriculture as the primary land use, encouraging on-farm self-consumption of generated electricity, prioritizing installations near farms, and ensuring that Agri-PV systems provide added value without significantly reducing agricultural productivity. As a highly urbanized area, partners from the Flemish government also showcased the idea of regional solar deployment strategy, which prioritizes rooftop, parking, and industrial-area solar installations before considering agricultural land, together with the policy recommendations developed through the EAGER project.
Bulgaria shared the progress made in developing Agri-PV policy within the Integrated Development Plan for the Municipality of Strelcha, drawing inspiration from Germany’s site selection methodology and Belgium’s decision-tree approach. The presentation also highlighted recent amendments to the Agricultural Land Protection Act in Bulagaria, which now allow photovoltaic installations, including Agri-PV systems, on certain categories (mainly toward category 7-10 agricultural land) of non-irrigated agricultural land.
The exchange generated valuable reflections for all participating regions. Germany identified opportunities to integrate a hierarchical solar energy strategy into municipal planning, prioritizing rooftop, industrial, and Agri-PV installations according to land suitability. The Belgian partner was particularly interested about the criteria defined in Germany’s DIN SPEC framework and will further examine how measurable criteria, such as crop yield thresholds, expert verification procedures, and system categorization, could strengthen its own decision tree and policy assessment methodology. At the same time, these concepts will need to be carefully adapted to the Flemish governance framework, existing regulations, and regional priorities, particularly regarding agricultural integration, self-consumption requirements, and crop-specific conditions.
