Vertical Solar Panels and the Reimagining of Solar Land Use: A Practical Path Forward

Solar development has long been framed by a flat logic where  land is found, panels are tilted, and everything else bends to fit. That approach has delivered remarkable capacity in a short time, but it’s also running into familiar constraints. In regions where agriculture, conservation, and energy ambitions overlap, land is a layered resource. As utility-scale solar carves out more acreage, a different kind of siting logic is starting to emerge.

Vertical bifacial panels, upright modules that collect light on both faces, are drawing renewed interest for the way they shift this logic. By changing orientation rather than footprint, vertical systems invite a more creative relationship between energy and land. They’re not a yield-maximizing solution for every site, and they’re not designed to replace standard tilt-angle arrays, but in high-conflict zones, edge-of-field corridors, or agricultural settings that require full ground access, they present a distinctly valuable option.

These systems have already moved from concept to credible pilot. In a recent study of vegetable crops and vertical PV systems, researchers documented significant co-benefits under real-world conditions in a semi-arid climate. Validated irradiance models now support their deployment strategy, showing how vertical PV systems can be tuned to local sun angles and albedo effects. As policymakers, developers, and landowners navigate the complexity of dual-use planning, vertical solar deserves a permanent seat at the table.

Understanding Vertical Solar

At first glance, vertical solar seems counterintuitive. Instead of leaning into the sun, panels stand upright like pickets on a fence. In reality,  the rise of vertical bifacial photovoltaic (PV) systems is a structural shift in how solar can engage with land, seasons, and energy demand. Unlike traditional south-facing arrays that chase midday peaks, vertical systems catch low-angle light from both east and west, creating a unique production curve that complements load profiles in the early morning and late afternoon.

This orientation isn’t new, but its optimization is. Engineers have been refining panel geometry and placement to account for albedo, seasonal sun paths, and local latitude. A 2021 study explored how vertical agrivoltaic systems could be fine-tuned for both energy and crop performance. Their model emphasized not just module output, but how shading and spacing interact with row crops and ground cover beneath. Likewise, recent irradiance modeling work has validated these setups across a range of locations, highlighting how bifacial panels can leverage diffuse light and reflected ground radiation to maintain strong performance even when installed vertically.

The format is also receiving attention in industry press and early utility collaborations. A 2023 pv‑Magazine article framed vertical PV as part of a broader rethink in land strategy, especially in peri-urban or agricultural contexts where horizontal expansion isn’t feasible or desirable.

This renewed focus reflects more than technical curiosity. As solar deployment scales, friction over land use grows. Vertical systems open a new set of conversations, not about panel efficiency in isolation, but about how energy production fits into multifunctional landscapes.

Agrivoltaics Meets Edge-of-Field Thinking

The promise of agrivoltaics has always centered on harmony, energy generation coexisting with active farmland. Vertical bifacial panels offer a compelling new twist on this promise by shifting the spatial logic of PV siting. Instead of competing for space, these systems slip into agricultural margins along fence lines, access roads, and the perimeters of active fields. The panels remain upright, leaving clear access for equipment while casting partial, rotating shade that benefits certain crops or ground cover types.

One field study conducted in a semi-arid region assessed vertical bifacial agrivoltaics alongside vegetable cultivation. Researchers tracked both energy generation and crop yields, showing that vertical setups can create favorable microclimates, particularly during midday heat, without disrupting operations. These cooler, dappled conditions were beneficial for heat-sensitive varieties and helped reduce water loss.

Equipment and soil mobility is another area in which verticals have the advantage because they are oriented vertically, less space is required between rows and pass-through space is also not compromised. This makes machinery movement easier because there are no solar panels to maneuver around, as is often the case with fixed-tilt ground mounts, which sit only a few feet above the ground. In addition, with the same parameters in place, less soil compaction occurs. Additionally, because less grading is required, existing soil contours can remain in place.

Pollinator strips are also accommodated more easily. Verticals allow for increased air circulation and more chaotic casting of shade, as well as a non-uniformity of light on the ground. These factors all create a diverse pattern within the field which may help native plantings and other pollinator and biodiversity habitat goals (like meeting compliance goals or allowing a landowner to qualify for a habitat certification program).

Tradeoffs and Technical Considerations

Every solar innovation carries its own tradeoffs, and vertical PV is no exception. While the orientation opens new doors for land co-use, it also alters the familiar energy yield equation. Annual output per panel typically falls short of that from optimally tilted systems, especially in summer months when the sun is higher in the sky. But this tradeoff becomes less problematic in certain climates or grid conditions. For example, Lahr and Fritz found that the east–west orientation of vertical bifacial systems can actually help smooth power delivery throughout the day, which supports grid resilience and lowers peak ramping stress.

This directional output balance has grid-level value, particularly in regions where morning and late-afternoon demand spikes strain traditional systems. Vertical arrays deliver a flatter generation curve, avoiding the sharp midday peaks associated with fixed-tilt PV. When aggregated, these systems can reduce the steep incline of the “duck curve,” a persistent challenge in high-penetration solar markets.

On the maintenance side, vertical panels pose new challenges and advantages. Their upright orientation helps reduce dust accumulation and water pooling, especially in regions with rainfall, but may increase exposure to wind stress and physical damage. Developers must weigh these mechanical considerations carefully, especially where snow loads or soil movement can complicate anchoring strategies.

From a design optimization standpoint, researchers continue to fine-tune how bifacial vertical arrays interact with surrounding crops, infrastructure, and seasonal light. In Riaz et al.'s work, a light-productivity factor was proposed to better match array spacing and orientation to crop-specific photosynthetic needs. These modeling frameworks help clarify where vertical systems make sense, not as a replacement for high-yield PV, but as a targeted fit for spaces where compatibility matters more than output.

Rather than flaws, these limitations function more like design boundaries. The engineering lens shifts from “maximizing yield at all costs” to “maximizing coexistence within constraints.” This is a different kind of optimization, one shaped by spatial, agricultural, and ecological logic.

Land Economics, Incentives, and Co-Use Modeling

Vertical PV unlocks a new paradigm for land economics, opening up opportunities in a rural and agricultural context. Narrow and linear, vertical arrays produce revenue from dormant acreage on fence lines, ditch edges, windbreak corridors, and other linear and narrow rights-of-way.

This integration unlocks possibilities for revenue stacking. Developers and landowners can layer multiple benefits across the same footprint, solar lease payments, USDA-supported pollinator habitat credits, and in some cases, carbon market participation. These combinations remain in early stages, but they point to a future where landowners are not choosing between agriculture and energy, they’re getting both, plus conservation upside.

Policy will play a defining role in how fast these models scale. The USDA has funded exploratory agrivoltaic research into vertical designs, while state-level siting policies are beginning to differentiate between land-use types. In these frameworks, “low-impact solar” may come to include upright, edge-aligned systems, giving vertical arrays regulatory preference or financial incentives. Developers willing to build within these boundaries may find new pathways to partnership, and new geographies opening up for viable deployment.

Market Readiness, Manufacturing, and Scaling Realities

Vertical PV systems remain an early-stage technology, and much of the current supply chain is in nascent stages to meet the growing interest. The majority of systems currently deployed are based on retrofitted bifacial modules originally designed for tilt-mounted racks, which is technically possible but inefficient and an engineering mismatch. As specific use cases for vertical arrays expand, the module market will need to follow with products that are optimized for vertical deployment, such as different framing or glass construction and bifaciality ratios.

Installation and modeling practices are also in flux. In some testbeds, vertical arrays are supported using agricultural fence posts and small concrete footings, which reduces materials costs and allows for faster deployment. They also pose new modeling questions, and developers are increasingly looking to irradiance simulators that can incorporate location-specific angles of incidence, as well as topography and array orientation. 

Scalability will depend on more than engineering, however. The value of vertical PV is dependent on role-fit fence lines, farm boundaries, and other constrained geographies. Vertical arrays can be useful in dense peri-urban geographies, like those near utility substations or rights-of-way where a land-light option is attractive, in contrast to expansive ground-mount farms. In Midwestern and Great Plains states where farms can cover hundreds of acres, vertical solar may be most appealing in linear form,  deployed alongside roads or around the perimeter of a field rather than across the middle.

Investors and public-sector partners are already expressing interest. Pilot projects are already expanding beyond experimental test plots and moving into commercial co-ops, as well as universities and mission-aligned developers testing market demand, landowner interest, and performance. As more experience is gained, the value proposition for vertical PV systems will become clearer, but even today early deployments suggest a shift in approach from a rush for\ maximum energy per acre to an adaptable energy footprint.

A Vertical Path Worth Exploring

In the evolving landscape of clean energy, vertical PV systems offer something distinct. They don't aim to outcompete traditional arrays on absolute yield. Their value lies elsewhere, in their ability to coexist with working land, to align with agricultural rhythms, and to fit into the physical and regulatory seams that standard solar often overlooks.

Their design, rooted in bifacial engineering and upright orientation, opens new avenues for energy generation where space is limited, or where preservation and productivity must coexist. Field trials illustrate a model in progress, capable of reducing land-use conflicts and contributing to a more resilient grid.

Yet this model is still in its early days. We need more real-world pilots, better landowner engagement strategies, and robust partnerships between developers, researchers, and policy advocates. What’s emerging is not just a new way to mount solar panels, it’s a new way to think about space, function, and coexistence.

As land pressures mount and the energy transition accelerates, the binary between “solar or agriculture” begins to dissolve. Vertical PV offers a third way where energy and agriculture are in complementary tension, each respecting the constraints and contributions of the other.