In a major step toward sustainable agriculture, the first commercial pilot using the REGACE system has been launched in Zemer, a community in northern Israel.
Spanning one and a half dunams (1,500 square meters), this groundbreaking initiative marks the largest agrivoltaic greenhouse ever established in Israel. Supported by the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which invested 150,000 shekels (40,000 euro), the pilot is a collaborative effort between the EU-funded REGACE Project, project partner TriSolar, which developed the technology, and local agricultural partners.
Inside the greenhouse, the REGACE system has been successfully installed and is already producing electricity while supporting the growth of cucumbers.
During a recent visit, a delegation of 16 senior experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, led by Dr. Michal Levy, Chief Scientist at the Ministry, and Roni Amit, Director General of the ministry’s Training Service, toured the site. They observed the system in operation and were highly impressed by its performance, both in terms of power generation and crop production.
Dr. Ibrahim Yehia, REGACE Project Coordinator from the Alzahrawy Society, emphasized that this pilot demonstrates a significant milestone.
“With the Ministry’s support, we established the first commercial scale agrivoltaic greenhouse in Israel,” said Dr. Yehia. “The REGACE system not only provides around thirty percent shading and generates electricity but also monitors and analyzes the crop growth process. This shows that agrivoltaic technology can be integrated into existing greenhouses without requiring new land or major infrastructure investments.”
The REGACE system represents a novel, data-driven approach to Agrivoltaics, the combination of renewable energy production and agriculture within the same area.
Developed through an EU-funded Horizon Europe project, REGACE is designed to optimize light distribution, energy efficiency, and crop productivity through a suite of smart sensors, IoT technologies, and advanced control algorithms. These features allow farmers to continuously monitor energy generation, shading levels, and plant development, ensuring that both agriculture and energy outputs are maximized.
The success of the Zemer pilot provides powerful evidence that agrivoltaic systems can be scaled up across Israel and beyond. It also opens the door for policy advancements, as the Ministry of Agriculture is now considering approving new national regulations allowing agrivoltaic installations with up to 35 percent shading coverage.
The positive results from the Israeli pilot confirm that agrivoltaic technology can support food security, increase energy independence, and protect valuable agricultural landscapes, all while reducing the carbon footprint of modern farming.
As the largest project of its kind in Israel, REGACE’s Zemer pilot stands as a living example of how innovation, collaboration, and smart technology can reshape the future of sustainable agriculture.
