Transforming Risk Perception and Fostering Cooperatively the Agri- PhotoVoltaics Technology With Farmers in Five Countries

A Sociological Perspective From the REGACE (Crop Responsive Greenhouse Agriphotovoltaics System With CO2 Enrichment for Higher Yields) Project

Abstract

The interaction between agricultural practitioners and innovative technologies has emerged as a critical area of inquiry in contemporary academic discourse. Disruptive advancements in agricultural technology—particularly in the domains of drone applications, artificial intelligence (AI), and agrivoltaics—present significant potential to address urgent environmental and energy-related challenges. However, the successful adoption and integration of these technologies are contingent upon robust processes of societal acceptance and comprehension, especially among farmers, who constitute the primary users and key stakeholders. The theory of disruptive innovation, initially conceptualized by Bower and Christensen in 1995, underscores the transformative capacity of novel technologies across various sectors. Nevertheless, the efficacy of such innovations is predicated on their seamless integration and acceptance by diverse stakeholder groups, including primary actors such as farmers and industry, as well as secondary entities with ancillary interests. For technological innovations to achieve their intended outcomes, they must be accompanied by authentic participatory processes that involve end-users from the initial stages. Within this framework, next-generation agriphotovoltaics greenhouses—which integrate photovoltaic systems with agricultural practices and enhance soil CO₂ enrichment—represent a pivotal solution for reconciling agricultural productivity with renewable energy generation. The WP6 of Regace Project. In this perspective, the WP6 of the REGACE project aimed, through the use of mixed qualitative, quantitative, and participatory methodologies, to investigate farming communities’ perceptions of agriphotovoltaics innovations. These sociological processes are intended to accompany the phases and models of agriphotovoltaics innovation from a perspective of social sustainability, with an active involvement of the community of innovation recipients.