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Growing crops under solar panels

fastcompany.com

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Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#21

Post by thethethethe »

crooked-v wrote: post #17

I really don't get why people keep coming up with all these elaborate plans to mix solar panels with other stuff that's in active use, instead of just putting fields of them out in non-endangered desert elevated enough off the ground that they won't actively interfere with local animals.

Why would we destroy pristine desert, which is rapidly disappearing, when we could cover land that has already been disturbed, like parking lots, building roofs, and farmland? Deserts are important ecosystems regardless of their immediate utility to industrial society

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#22

Post by hahamrfunnyguy »

debacle wrote: post #6

This idea is being pushed hard right now. I see it everywhere. You can't grow most crops under solar panels. And the crops you can grow will probably have a lower yield. This is an idea that's meant to push replacing farmland with solar arrays. I don't necessarily think that's a bad idea for low yield soils, but in my area they are trying to replace high-yield soils (former orchards, vineyards, market gardens) with s…

True, however I think the point is to put more shade tolerant crops under the panels. A lot of the crops we grow are not grown directly for human consumption.

Consider the corn grown for the production of ethanol: why not just harvest the energy directly with solar panels there and grow lettuce or carrots? It would be good to explore other uses for the space as well, like using the panels as shade or cover for livestock.

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#23

Post by [deleted] »

throwuwu wrote: post #3

I’m no farmer but wouldn’t putting a whole bunch of stuff in a field make it difficult to drive a tractor through it? Like have you seen the size of modern tractors? These panels will need to be 20ft in the air with support posts really far apart to accommodate seed drills and sprayers and other equipment that the tractor pulls behind it.

[deleted]

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#25

Post by cultofmetatron »

crooked-v wrote: post #17

I really don't get why people keep coming up with all these elaborate plans to mix solar panels with other stuff that's in active use, instead of just putting fields of them out in non-endangered desert elevated enough off the ground that they won't actively interfere with local animals.

the plants help keep the solar panels cool which aids efficiency and longevity

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#26

Post by m463 »

crooked-v wrote: post #17

I really don't get why people keep coming up with all these elaborate plans to mix solar panels with other stuff that's in active use, instead of just putting fields of them out in non-endangered desert elevated enough off the ground that they won't actively interfere with local animals.

I'm guessing that all these schemes timeshare one resource - people - who then diversify their enterprises by wearing two hats.

Sort of how a convenience store has a storefront, then keeps leveraging it by adding things like moneygrams and lottery ticket sales and utility bill payments and so on...

I also think there must be crops that benefit from shading. Either the crops grow well in indirect sunlight, or the area is too hot/sunny for the direct sunlight crops.

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#27

Post by Arnt »

fencepost wrote: post #7
throwuwu wrote: post #3

I’m no farmer but wouldn’t putting a whole bunch of stuff in a field make it difficult to drive a tractor through it? Like have you seen the size of modern tractors? These panels will need to be 20ft in the air with support posts really far apart to accommodate seed drills and sprayers and other equipment that the tractor pulls behind it.

To some extent that falls into the category of "fiddly details." Solar panels are probably not the best choice for use alongside bulk harvested crops like corn, wheat, soybeans and even potatoes, but an awful lot of "produce" crops are harvested by hand. The reason I say "fiddly details" is because questions like "what's the best spacing between rows of panels" and "do I plant under the panels or just between rows" c…

I don't know about "growing crops", but a farm outside the city where I live has sheep grazing under/around solar panels.

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#28

Post by detourdog »

throwuwu wrote: post #3

I’m no farmer but wouldn’t putting a whole bunch of stuff in a field make it difficult to drive a tractor through it? Like have you seen the size of modern tractors? These panels will need to be 20ft in the air with support posts really far apart to accommodate seed drills and sprayers and other equipment that the tractor pulls behind it.

I can tell you are no farmer. No tractor is needed in a field maintained by grazing. If tbe panels are mounted high enough sunlight will be cast on the ground for a period each day.

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#29

Post by kragen »

Jiro wrote: post #9

Outside of weird edge cases (like mushrooms), how does this work when the plants use the sunlight and so do the solar panels?

for staff-of-life crops like potatoes and grains, it's a bad idea, but an awful lot of common crops like lettuce benefit from having less than full sun

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#30

Post by seanalltogether »

debacle wrote: post #6

This idea is being pushed hard right now. I see it everywhere. You can't grow most crops under solar panels. And the crops you can grow will probably have a lower yield. This is an idea that's meant to push replacing farmland with solar arrays. I don't necessarily think that's a bad idea for low yield soils, but in my area they are trying to replace high-yield soils (former orchards, vineyards, market gardens) with s…

Let me introduce you to El Ejido, Spain. A region dominated almost exclusively with greenhouses that block out significant amounts of sunlight

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ejido

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7520281,-2.7656489,22159m/da...

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