Today, the challenge of the energy transition hinges on the ability of photovoltaic technology to evolve, integrating seamlessly and efficiently with infrastructure, architecture, agricultural land and the electricity grid. From university laboratories to major international research forums, new solar technologies are reshaping the relationship between energy production and the land. In this interview, Cristina Cornaro, Director of the ESTER Lab at the Tor Vergata University of Rome and a lecturer in Environmental Applied Physics at the “Mario Lucertini” Department of Enterprise Engineering, guides us through the cutting edges of the sector: the focus on hybrid materials such as perovskite-silicon tandem cells, the strategic role of agrivoltaics and Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), and the digital revolution driven by machine learning for increasingly accurate weather and solar forecasts.
The new frontiers of solar energy: agrivoltaics and predictive algorithms
From new materials to the integration of photovoltaics into the countryside: a journey into the very heart of innovation, where scientific research meets the needs of industry. An interview with Professor Cristina Cornaro from the Tor Vergata University of Rome.
Your academic career has included strategic collaborations with major players in the energy sector. What is the current state of the art of research into next-generation solar technologies, and how can technology transfer between universities and industry help bring the goals of the energy transition closer?
«By now, photovoltaic technology — particularly silicon-based technology — has reached full market maturity, offering solutions which are firmly consolidated. However, research remains ongoing with a determination to test and evaluate new solutions capable of complementing or enhancing existing technologies.
In this context, my experience at the CHOSE – Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy of the Lazio Region at the Tor Vergata University of Rome has enabled me to work directly with these innovations. Specifically, I head the laboratory for solar energy testing and research (Energia Solare TEst e Ricerca, or ESTER), which was established in 2008 thanks to significant regional funding. It is an outdoor station of vital importance for testing the performance and durability of new devices under real-world operating conditions. Perovskite is emerging as one of the most promising materials at the moment, particularly when combined with silicon in so-called tandem cells. This combination offers a clear improvement in energy efficiency, although research is currently heavily focused on overcoming challenges associated with the durability of organic-hybrid materials, which tend to deteriorate more easily when exposed to the elements.
Making the transition from the laboratory to industry is one of CHOSE’s primary missions: we work to bring scientific findings to market, overseeing the scale-up process from the individual cell to the module ready for industrial production. Rather than a simple technology transfer, this process should be seen as co-design in every sense, with industrial aspects being integrated right from the earliest stages of research».
The integration of renewables is no longer just a question of installed space, but also of coexistence and synergy with the land and with infrastructures. How are BIPV and agrivoltaics evolving from a technological perspective, and what opportunities do they offer for overcoming the constraints on land use in Italy?
«As traditional photovoltaic technology has now reached maturity, the priority in installing systems has become the optimisation and reduction of land use. The current challenge lies in creating solar synergies, which is to say integrating photovoltaic systems into the surrounding environment — whether natural or built by man — with mutual benefits for both the ecosystem and the photovoltaic system itself.
It is a topic I have also explored in depth recently as a keynote speaker at the 2026 SEEP (Sustainable Energy & Environmental Protection) conference at the Tor Vergata University of Rome, emphasising how such integration is the key to the future of the energy transition. In addition to emerging solutions such as floatovoltaics, in which photovoltaic systems float upon reservoirs and hydroelectric dams, the two main areas of focus remain Building-Integrated Photovoltaics and agrivoltaics.
In the former, solar panels are not merely an add-on element, but become an integral part of the building’s structure. This requires targeted design and often involves custom-made devices, which affect construction costs but also enable the highest levels of aesthetic and architectural integration.
Agrivoltaics, on the other hand, is a more recent form of synergy; one which requires a strong interdisciplinary approach that combines energy and agricultural production. In the European “REGACE” project, for example, we focused on integrating photovoltaics into agricultural greenhouses. Studies show that the shading provided by these modules can reduce evapotranspiration and water consumption in crops, as well as increasing agricultural yield for certain crop types.
Whether the structures are vertical, elevated, single-axis trackers or integrated into greenhouses, every agrivoltaic or architectural project requires its own specific, tailored assessment, as the complexity of the contexts makes standardisation difficult».
You are also at the forefront of issues relating to solar resources for widespread applications and solar energy forecasting. What are the most significant aspects that have emerged from your experience in the international arena?
«My international experience, both through European projects and in my role as an expert within the IEA – International Energy Agency since 2018, has given me the opportunity to engage with researchers from all over the world. As part of IEA Task 16 — dedicated to the large-scale use of solar energy — I will be coordinating activities focusing on solar resources and data for the integration of BIPV, agrivoltaics and floatovoltaics for the three-year period 2026-2028.
Under the scope of the same Task, we are also working in close collaboration with the team led by Professor Richard Perez at the State University of New York at Albany in the USA on the integration of photovoltaics into the electricity grid using the “Firm PV generation” approach. In this context, we have built the INFINITY prototype at ESTER Lab to test this approach in an operational setting».
How is digitalisation, as applied to the modelling of weather and solar data, changing our ability to forecast and manage renewable production?
«Providing accurate forecasts of solar production, at least for the next 24 hours, is an essential prerequisite to allow grid operators and producers to balance energy flows correctly.
Today, digitalisation gives us access to an immense amount of data, both on the ground — with weather stations and production data — and via satellite. The real leap forward in quality lies in the ability to harness this vast quantity of information. In particular, the introduction of machine-learning algorithms — on which we have been working since 2012 — enables us to refine and “hybridise” the physical models used to predict atmospheric developments. By integrating empirical data and advanced artificial intelligence algorithms with physical models, we are able to correct margins of error and ensure much more reliable production estimates».