Growing Grass Under Solar Panels

Emu and goats keeping the weeds down around a ground mount solar system.

Growing grass under solar panels.

So they installed instruments to measure air temperature relative humidity wind speeds and soil moisture in the areas under panels and under direct sunlight. Growing agricultural crops under the shade of solar panels uses water much more efficiently while shielding plants from the worst of the midday heat. The result was twice as much grass under the panels as elsewhere in the pasture and that grass was much more nutritious. The nikke group a manufacturer and wholesaler of textile and clothing materials is using three goats to control weeds growing under part of a 16 81 mw pv ground mount system.

Solar shading decreased production 5 3 percent to 19 percent. The bare ground beneath solar panels near boulder has been planted with grasses and mulched in a test to soften the appearance restore native habitat and protect soil from erosion. If the sheep weren t here the grass would be growing to about this height which would create a problem for the solar panels because the solar panels are moving in order to capture the sun. Sheep can take the place of lawnmowers and as the grass sucks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The only drawback is that weeds always find a place to grow so occasional efforts will be needed to keep them in check. The extra cost of adding a solar canopy over crops could be paid for by the 5 percent gain in power production seen in panels in arizona reduced maintenance and premium pricing for solar grown. Agrivoltaics probably won t be feasible for large scale single crop farms that rely on heavy machinery. The grass has secondary benefit.

It is quite inexpensive and requires little maintenance. Farmers also have another option. The institute elevated 720 solar panels high enough for farm machinery to harvest plants underneath and nearby according to a 2017 press release. Grazing sheep or cattle on grass grown under solar panels.

Walking past one of the solar arrays on campus one day biological and ecological engineering professor chad higgins saw that green grass was growing in the array s shade. The researchers planted wheat potatoes celeriac and clover grass in the open and under the panels and compared the yields.