Abstract The combined use of land for agriculture and photovoltaic electricity production (agrivoltaics) could be a strategy to capture benefits for both crops and solar panels. Here, we investigated an 89-kW pilot system comprising vertically mounted and tilted bifacial solar panels in Denmark (latitude 56.5⁰). Variables including microclimate and electricity production were measured for one year, together with the yield of wheat and grass clover mixture grown between the rows of solar panels. The vertical solar panels acted as wind shelters and resulted in similar crop yields to the control (open field), and higher compared to south-oriented 25⁰-tilted solar panels. The daily profile for electricity generation of the vertical solar panels matches electricity demand better. In addition, the social acceptance study highlights that vertical agrivoltaic systems were perceived more positively than conventional solar panels. Our results offer a strategy for the sustainable integration of solar electricity generation and agriculture in temperate climates.