Consumer preferences and willingness to pay for apples from agrivoltaics

There is an urgent need for the production of renewable energies due to the climate impact of fossil energy production. At the same time, the world population is rising. This leads to a land-use conflict between energy and food production. One solution to this conflict could be agrivoltaics. It is a new method of cultivation in which electricity and food are produced simultaneously. However, there has been no research into consumer preferences and willingness to pay for foods from agrivoltaics. This study investigates consumers' preferences for apples produced with agrivoltaics. To achieve this aim, an online survey consisting of a choice experiment was conducted in Germany. The results revealed that for each attribute the characteristics associated with agrivoltaics achieved higher utilities than characteristics associated with the traditional cultivation of apples. The characteristics ‘production in Germany’, ‘reduced plastic usage’, and ‘production of green electricity’ achieved the highest willingness-to-pay values. The results will help to understand how to market products cultivated within agrivoltaics.