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by danans
1516 days ago
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> I see reports about a problem of UK farmers who make more from dedicated solar, per hectare, than they were making growing. > The problem may be self-limiting: they may end up unable to compete with farmers doing double- or triple-use, with solar, wind, and cultivation in the same field. Can you share that report? I'd like to see a triple use farm. Great idea in concept, but I doubt that there a lot places that have a climate that makes wind, solar, and shade vegetable growth economical on the same land. Otherwise we would see this pervasively across California's Central valley. |
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Renewables are still very far from built out, so not seeing something done in your vicinity tells you very little about its practicality.
A pretty good rundown on shared use for solar PV and vegetable crops is at https://greencoast.org/agrivoltaics/ with reports of better yields, up to 3x in certain crops, from reduced heat stress and water loss, and also higher efficiency in the panels from cooler operation.
There are many different configurations being experimented with. Just elevating and spacing out the panels in otherwise conventional installations is common. But some are putting in exactly-vertical, double-sided panels, starting near ground level, that they drive tractors between. Panels have been used on the roofs of greenhouses for a long time. Using the framework supporting panels for other apparatus, such as irrigation piping, is common. In some fields, panels are placed directly above plants to protect them against harsh weather.
There are experiments with partially transparent panels, that harvest the green light plants don't use, and pass the rest through.
An example of people in UK complaining (at length) about solar PV displacing agriculture is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFgM5hO2e1Y