SYMBIOSYST is a European research project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme, dedicated to the development and validation of modelling approaches for agrivoltaic systems, with a particular focus on the interaction between photovoltaic installations and agricultural production. The project addresses the need for reliable and transparent tools to assess light sharing, crop response and energy production in complex agrivoltaic configurations. 

Within SYMBIOSYST, LuciSun is involved in the benchmarking and validation of 3D modelling tools used to simulate light distribution in agrivoltaic systems. This work covers a wide range of agrivoltaic typologies, including orchards, vineyards, vegetable crops and greenhouse-related structures, as well as configurations based on vertical bifacial PV and tracking agrivoltaic systems. The modelling explicitly accounts for complex physical phenomena such as shading, reflection, transmission through structures and bifacial effects, which are critical to accurately represent light availability at crop level. 

In addition to tool benchmarking, LuciSun led the conceptual design of several agrivoltaic demonstrators within the project. This work included the definition of technical layouts, 3D modelling of support structures, and the evaluation of key design parameters such as system height, row spacing and agrivoltaic tracking strategies. The demonstrator designs rely directly on the modelling and validation methodologies developed in the project, ensuring consistency between design assumptions and performance assessment. 

SYMBIOSYST also provides a structured framework to confront modelling results with data from real demonstrators, supporting the validation of simulation approaches against observed behaviour in the field. This feedback loop between modelling, design and implementation is essential to improve confidence in agrivoltaic assessments and to refine design recommendations. 

Overall, SYMBIOSYST strengthens LuciSun’s expertise in agrivoltaic system modelling and design, particularly for complex and innovative configurations. The project contributes to a more rigorous and practice-oriented evaluation of agrivoltaic solutions, and the insights gained directly inform LuciSun’s consulting activities, software development and training programmes related to agrivoltaics.