Agrivoltaic systems integrate photovoltaic (PV) energy generation with agricultural production, creating synergies that enhance land-use efficiency and environmental sustainability. This article reviews agrivoltaic technologies to identify key trends and the most promising future research and development directions. The method applied involves selecting and analysing relevant literature sources and filtering them with regard to the essential questions that need to be answered for the climates of Central Europe and China. These include global development, current applications, and technological progress. The analysis reveals growing attention to system design, performance optimisation, and crop compatibility. Innovations such as bifacial and spectrally selective PV modules boost energy yields while maintaining suitable conditions for shade-tolerant crops like leafy greens and berries. The analysis confirmed the high potential of sustainability benefits (societal, economic, and environmental) and revealed the need for systematic investigations of significant performance factors, including location and system design. A relatively underinvestigated factor is the protection of crops from excessive sunlight, which has become increasingly important. The modelling and optimisation of system operation is also necessary to provide decision-makers with robust tools for project assessment. A roadmap is proposed to guide future research and development.

The green transition of the global energy system presents considerable economic and technological challenges. One of them is the local and temporal difference between available energy sources and energy demand. To overcome this problem, two conceptual solutions can be considered: one is the use of an energy carrier that is suitable for medium- and long-term storage and safe transportation of energy. Carbon-based fuels (or novel alternatives, like hydrogen) or electric energy are the solutions currently used; however, we are facing their environmental or technical limitations. The other one is the synchronisation and intelligent control of sources and consumers, which could significantly decrease the storage and transportation needs. The current article discusses such a solution through a conceptual example. For the conceptual design of an advanced energy management system, the main related system elements shall be defined, and characteristic properties must be assigned to them. Input parameters for the energy management strategy must be given and prioritised. All this information enables the system to calculate and define instantaneous operational optimum. Also, an intelligent control system should take time-dependent processes and parameters into account, which can be deterministic or stochastic. As a result of this study, an energy management system concept that is based on realistic components and use cases is proposed, and its applicability to a local energy community is evaluated.

It is now not a question anymore that the fossil fuel-based energy system of human civilization has to be converted into a sustainable energy cycle during the 21st century. In most cases, the introduction of related, novel energetical technologies and solutions leads to disadvantageous interferences with other fields of life. Perhaps the most critical example is the competition between the energy sector and the food industry for valuable agricultural land. Although the two utilization purposes are generally considered mutually exclusive, there are agro-energetical solutions where the two goals are not just indifferent, but they expressly increase each other's efficiency. Such solutions are the agro-photovoltaic systems, where photovoltaic panels are installed in a way that is advantageous for the crops below them. Some plants, such as berries, prefer shady to semi-shady environments, which can be optimally provided under partially covered PV fields. With the active control of the PV panels, ideal shading conditions and even mechanical protection can be ensured in case of extreme weather events. With the appropriate selection of the crop plants and the PV installation, cultivation processes are not hindered, can be highly automated, and the energy needs can be fully covered by the local PV system. From the above description, it is clear that the realization of efficient agro-photovoltaic systems is not just possible but really prosperous. This study offers a more detailed overview of currently realized solutions around the world, as well as a thorough planning process of an agro-photovoltaic project at the ZalaZONE test center, optimized for the Hungarian climatic and agricultural conditions and possibilities.