Dr. Max Trommsdorff – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies

Dr. Max Trommsdorff

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems
Economics, Agrivoltaics

Member FRIAS Project Group
FRIAS Project Group “Agrivoltaics”

October 2025 – December 2026

Website

ORCID ID

E-Mail: max.trommsdorff@ise.fraunhofer.de

Last Update: 20.10.2025

Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Max Trommsdorff is working at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in the field of agrivoltaics. His research focuses on the integration of photovoltaic energy production and agriculture to promote sustainable land use, climate resilience, and rural development. He studied Environmental Sciences at the University of Freiburg and received his PhD in 2023 with a dissertation on the techno-economic design and performance of agrivoltaic systems. At Fraunhofer ISE, he has established an interdisciplinary research portfolio covering system design, modeling, and economic and ecological assessment of agrivoltaics. He coordinated national and international projects, including collaborations with partners in Europe, Asia, and North America, and serves as Scientific Chair of the AgriVoltaics World Conference 2025. His current work at FRIAS aims to deepen the university’s fundamental research on agrivoltaics, bridging engineering, agronomy, and socio-ecological perspectives.

Selected Publications

Özdemir, Ö. et al. (2025): Design, simulation, and experimental evaluation of an agrivoltaic greenhouse in Turkey, Results in Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2025.105278
Trommsdorff, M. et al. (2024): Economic performance of agrivoltaic systems: A comprehensive analysis. In: Agrivoltaics: Technical, ecological, commercial and legal aspects, Institution of Engineering and Technology, ISBN 9781839537974, https://doi.org/10.1049/PBPO245E.
Trommsdorff, M. et al. (2023): Can synergies in agriculture through an integration of solar energy reduce the cost of agrivoltaics? An economic analysis in apple farming, Applied Energy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.121619.
Trommsdorff, M. et al. (2021): Combining Food and Energy Production: Design of an Agrivoltaic System Applied in Arable and Vegetable Farming in Germany, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110694.
Schindele, S. et al. (2020): Implementation of agrophotovoltaics: Techno-economic analysis of the price-performance ratio and its policy implications, Applied Energy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114737.

FRIAS Project

Project Group “Agrivoltaics.”

The Agri-Photovoltaics Project Group at the University of Freiburg advances Agri-PV as a key technology for sustainable land use: solar generation and farming co-located on the same plots to boost land productivity and climate resilience. Our interdisciplinary approach links field insights, modeling, and techno-economic analysis with social-science work on adoption, governance, and value chains. In doing so, we contribute to core UN goals—climate-resilient agriculture (SDG 2), efficient water use (SDG 6), clean energy (SDG 7), climate action (SDG 13), and responsible consumption (SDG 12). We aim to strengthen collaboration across the university, build international visibility, and deepen research capacity—complementing the application-oriented activities of Fraunhofer ISE.