Aquavoltaics: Advancing the Water‐Food‐Energy Nexus Through Photovoltaic Integration for Sustainable Aquaculture Production—A Comprehensive Review

ABSTRACT

Intensive aquaculture practices heavily reliant on conventional energy sources have contributed significantly to environmental degradation, primarily through greenhouse gas emissions. The sector faces ongoing challenges, including high energy consumption, land‐use conflicts, and unreliable electricity supply, all of which impede its sustainable development and pose broader risks to both human survival and long‐term ecological balance. The quest for efficient solar energy utilization has led to the emergence of aquavoltaics, a novel integrated model that combines photovoltaic technology with aquaculture. Aquavoltaics offers a promising solution to mitigate climate change while addressing the growing global demands for food and energy. By installing photovoltaic modules on water surfaces, aquavoltaic systems simultaneously generate renewable energy and support aquaculture operations. This integration enhances land and water resource efficiency, providing stable power for critical aquaculture equipment and improving the overall sustainability of the sector. Moreover, it contributes to mitigating the energy crisis, enhancing water quality, and advancing the synergistic development of energy and aquaculture within the water‐energy‐food nexus. This review paper explores the current state of aquaculture production and energy consumption, detailing the functionality of aquavoltaic systems, their impact on water quality parameters, and their influence on the productivity of cultured organisms. Additionally, the paper discusses how aquavoltaics fulfill the water‐energy‐food nexus, offering insights into improving aquaculture production and clean energy. Finally, it addresses the sustainability aspects, challenges, and future prospects of aquavoltaic systems, highlighting their potential role in advancing sustainable development.