From electronics to agriculture: How 3M film technology is helping manage light in new ways

For decades, 3M has applied optical film technology to help manage light in precise and useful ways, including in electronic devices and displays where light control can support brightness, clarity and energy efficiency. Now, that same expertise is being adapted for a new challenge: filtering sunlight to help support agriculture while also helping generate renewable energy.

Through an ongoing partnership with Voltiris, 3M is helping advance spectral-filtering solar technology designed to selectively manage sunlight above crops. The approach aims to let plants receive the light they need for growth while redirecting other portions of the light spectrum they don’t to help generate electricity.

Building on work in greenhouse agriculture, the companies recently launched an outdoor pilot in the Canary Islands to test how Voltiris’ Voltimax spectral-filtering module performs in open-field conditions.

For 3M, the pilot is part of a bigger story: applying an existing technology platform in a new way through external collaboration.

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A new use for a core 3M technology platform

3M’s role in the Voltiris partnership is rooted in its long-standing expertise in optical films, materials science and light management.

Optical films are designed to control how light is transmitted, reflected or redirected. In this pilot application, that expertise helps support a system that filters sunlight above crops, balancing two goals that are often in tension: protecting plants from excess heat while capturing solar energy.

That capability is what makes the collaboration different from a traditional solar installation. Rather than simply placing panels near agricultural land, the technology is designed to work with the growing environment by managing the spectrum of light reaching the crops.

For growers, that could create a valuable combination: improved growing conditions and renewable energy generation from the same footprint.

Why the Canary Islands pilot matters now

The new pilot is in Gran Canaria, Spain, over a banana farm operated by Grupo FSM, the largest banana producer and exporter in Europe.

Bananas are central to the region’s agricultural economy, but they are grown in a challenging environment with high solar irradiance and significant heat stress. A large share of irrigation relies on desalinated water, where production requires substantial amounts of energy. In the Canary Islands, the electricity used for desalination represents a significant share of the total cost of banana production.

That makes the region a strong test case for a solution designed to address multiple pressures at once.

The pilot will explore whether spectral-filtering solar technology can help reduce heat stress for crops while also generating electricity that is expected to partially supply a desalination plant used for irrigation.

From greenhouse innovation to open-field agriculture

3M and Voltiris have been working together for several years to help move the technology from concept toward broader application.

The solution has already been deployed at industrial scale in greenhouses across Europe. The Canary Islands pilot represents the next step: testing how the technology performs outdoors, where conditions are less controlled and durability, system performance and environmental exposure become even more important.

That shift from greenhouse to open-field agriculture is a meaningful expansion of the opportunity.

It also reflects how 3M works with partners to advance innovation: combining 3M’s science, technology platforms and application expertise with external companies developing new market solutions.

“In high-tech greenhouses across Northern Europe, where every percentage point of light matters, our technology has demonstrated that crops can thrive beneath Voltiris modules. Results show plant temperatures reduced by around 4°C and irrigation needs lowered by approximately 20%,” said Jonas Roch, chief technology officer and co-founder of Voltiris. “As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, our agrivoltaic solution helps make agriculture more resilient. We are now bringing the same principle outdoors, with the potential to deliver similar - or even greater - benefits while also protecting crops from wind, frost, hail, and heavy rain.”

“The collaboration with Voltiris demonstrates the value of combining 3M’s materials science expertise with external innovation to help accelerate emerging technologies,” said Mark Copman, senior vice president of 3M Ventures. “Together, we are advancing solutions that have the potential to support both agriculture and energy, while reflecting 3M’s ongoing commitment to applying science to complex global challenges.”

The partnership is an example of the way 3M works with innovators across industries: taking core technology platforms and applying them in new ways to help solve customer and market challenges.

In this case, 3M’s optical film expertise is helping enable a new approach to agricultural solar technology - one that could support crop environments, help generate renewable power and address resource pressures in regions where sunlight is abundant but conditions are increasingly demanding.

What is 3M’s partnership with Voltiris?

3M is working with Voltiris to help advance spectral-filtering solar technology for agriculture. The collaboration combines Voltiris’ solar module innovation with 3M’s materials science and optical film expertise to explore new ways of managing sunlight above crops.

What role does 3M technology play?

3M contributes expertise in optical films and light management. In this application, that technology helps support a system designed to filter sunlight so crops can receive the light they need while other portions of the spectrum are redirected to generate electricity.

What is new about the Canary Islands pilot?

The Canary Islands pilot is the first outdoor deployment of Voltiris’ Voltimax spectral-filtering solar module for open-field agriculture. It provides a real-world test in a region where banana growers face high solar exposure, crop heat stress and energy-intensive irrigation needs.

How does this reflect 3M innovation?

The partnership shows how 3M can apply a core technology platform in a new way through collaboration. By adapting optical film expertise for agriculture and renewable energy, 3M is helping advance a solution designed to address multiple challenges at once: crop conditions, energy generation and resource efficiency.