Solar panels can produce clean, renewable energy that helps us transition away from energy sources such as gas and oil, which pollute our atmosphere and overheat our planet. But solar panels also take up a lot of physical space. Luckily, a new practice called "agrivoltaics" takes that problem and turns it into a positive, pv magazine reported.
Agrivoltaics refers to the practice of combining solar panels with farming — for example, using the shaded areas under the panels for sheep grazing. According to new research from the University of Tasmania, as relayed by pv magazine, the practice is most useful in arid and semiarid regions.
The reason is fairly straightforward: Increasing the amount of shade prevents some water from being evaporated out of the soil, which is especially important when trying to grow crops in drier climates.
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"In these cases, solar panels shade soil, prevent evapotranspiration and improve pasture production, suggesting that agrivoltaics would be more beneficial in regions with greater aridity," said Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture professor Matthew Harrison, one of the researchers. "We suggest that agrivoltaics provide scope for economic growth and climate action regardless of socio-economic development status."
The arid and semiarid climates were also conducive to generating energy via solar panels since they got a lot of sun, creating a win-win situation.
Agrivoltaic studies and experiments have already been conducted — with varying levels of success — throughout the world. In Spain, researchers tested a model that integrated solar panels with olive plants and reported that the results were promising. A different study from the University of Sheffield found that crops such as maize, Swiss chard, and beans grew better in the partial shade provided by the solar panels.
While agrivoltaics is not yet a widespread practice, there is growing evidence that suggests it should be. The more clean, renewable energy we can create, the better for the planet — and if farmers can make money by leasing their land to energy companies without sacrificing their ability to use that land for agriculture, all the better.
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