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Growing crops under solar panels

fastcompany.com

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Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#101

Post by db48x »

gpvos wrote: post #97
xyzzyz wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And if France makes it mandatory to cover all "substantial" parking lots it will generate as much electricity from just that as 10 nuclear power plants [1]. It will not, not even close to that. You are being deceived. This deception is willful, because it is obvious to anyone who has any idea about realities of energy generation. The linked article, however, while not literally lying, omits some obvious facts, the…

What makes you think they didn't already take that into account? There are really an awful lot of parking places. Also, the panels will give electricity at the same times we are going to want airco due to global warming, so at least it helps to cover that need.

Never trust a reporter to be numerate. Never trust a press release, ever.

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#102

Post by moffkalast »

db48x wrote: post #101
gpvos wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes you think they didn't already take that into account? There are really an awful lot of parking places. Also, the panels will give electricity at the same times we are going to want airco due to global warming, so at least it helps to cover that need.

Never trust a reporter to be numerate. Never trust a press release, ever.

Don't trust anybody, not even yourself.

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#103

Post by AlecSchueler »

fbdab103 wrote: post #72
defrost wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Picture of sheep grazing under panels in Australia: Solar farm trial shows improved fleece on merino sheep grazed under panels https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-05-30/solar-farm-graz... Note the room to drive between panel rows and for "boom mowers" to spread out behind a medium tractor and reach under the panels. There are also many types of vehicles used in agriculture from two storey high broad acre heavy dut…

Why did the sheep not already have access to a shed or other form of shelter from the sun/rain?

There's no profit to be had in giving shade to the sheep.

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#104

Post by hdhrufjdi »

xyzzyz wrote: post #94
locallost wrote: post #69

There are interesting things in the article, but I think it was never about available land use, but just another knee jerk argument against solar panels. Example: Disneyland Europe will generate over 30 GWh per year from just covering a part of its parking lot. And if France makes it mandatory to cover all "substantial" parking lots it will generate as much electricity from just that as 10 nuclear power plants [1]. A…

> And if France makes it mandatory to cover all "substantial" parking lots it will generate as much electricity from just that as 10 nuclear power plants [1]. It will not, not even close to that. You are being deceived. This deception is willful, because it is obvious to anyone who has any idea about realities of energy generation. The linked article, however, while not literally lying, omits some obvious facts, the…

Good thing that wind power is stronger in the winter, thus complementary to solar energy.

> They are not, not even close, and this is even ignoring how nuclear power in France subsidizes solar/wind in a deliberate, systemic way.

Source? Do you also want to tell us about the subsidiaries of nuclear energy in France?

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#106

Post by cyberax »

dylan604 wrote: post #86
vel0city wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone in Texas I'd really love is more parking lots had even partial covered parking with solar above. Please. It gets dang hot out here, I'd love the shade.

shoot, around my parts of Texas, when you stand in the shade of a tree, the tree looks at you and says, "trust me, it's not any cooler here"

You have trees?!?

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#107

Post by jcampbell1 »

conductr wrote: post #90
vel0city wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone in Texas I'd really love is more parking lots had even partial covered parking with solar above. Please. It gets dang hot out here, I'd love the shade.

I tried to sell this in Texas a decade or so ago and feedback from most tenants and commercial RE folks was they were concerned with lighting, visibility , safety (as in, increase opportunities for theft/assault), liability, etc of having panels on their property. All I wanted was the use of their land and I was going to fund everything else. Likely would have pursued selling them low rate electricity. The market was…

So you were thinking about doing a million dollar solar install, but you couldn’t come up with $10k for land to do the install?

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#108

Post by imtringued »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #107
conductr wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried to sell this in Texas a decade or so ago and feedback from most tenants and commercial RE folks was they were concerned with lighting, visibility , safety (as in, increase opportunities for theft/assault), liability, etc of having panels on their property. All I wanted was the use of their land and I was going to fund everything else. Likely would have pursued selling them low rate electricity. The market was…

So you were thinking about doing a million dollar solar install, but you couldn’t come up with $10k for land to do the install?

He didn't say he wanted to do a "million dollar solar install" and he certainly didn't say he couldn't come up with "$10k for land".

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#109

Post by detourdog »

mikro2nd wrote: post #100
schiffern wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Grazing fields aren't really growing crops. Right, they grow food for animals, which walk around the field and graze on it autonomously. Hey, I wonder if that's why they're called that... :) I'm not really sure what the point is in making this observation. Just a "farmer vs rancher" thing, or something deeper? >I can't see any good way to harvest a field with solar panels See above.

Pastures used for grazing are managed intensively using big machines. (Source: I live next door to a large dairy farm. Pastures irrigated with centre-pivot systems.) Pastures get replanted/supplemental sowing every so often, weeds get sprayed with herbicides, fields get mowed to maintain uniform growth after they've been grazed...

Pastures requiring machinery is the exception not the rule. I can’t figure out what your neighbor is doing.

Re: Growing crops under solar panels

#110

Post by CorrectHorseBat »

eru wrote: post #59
onethought wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn’t make that much sense. We can transmit power pretty long distances these days. I don’t understand “don’t disturb the desert” - why? It’s not just useless to us… it’s useless to most living things.

> We can transmit power pretty long distances these days. Engineering feasibility is not the same as economic viability.

Or political
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