Hi all,
Just read an interesting article this morning which I thought may be of interest:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/09/crops-under-solar-panels-can-be-a-win-win
Where I am in the subtropics it seems the sun can be very harsh, and a number of people are using shade cloth to take the edge off the strong sunlight so their plants don't cook. This article covers an experiment that was done by using solar panels instead of shade cloth, to not only limit some of the sunlight but to also generate electricity in the process.
It seems it was quite a success, lowering the heat, reducing water evaporation, and the plants actually produced more fruit.
I have been wondering for a little while myself whether something like this was possible, only I was thinking of semi-transparent solar panels instead. But of course after reading the article it makes perfect sense that installing the solar panels quite high up with large gaps in between each panel will have a similar effect by casting a diffuse shadow and still letting a lot of light through.
Definitely food for thought for anyone looking to get their first or additional solar panels!
Just read an interesting article this morning which I thought may be of interest:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/09/crops-under-solar-panels-can-be-a-win-win
Where I am in the subtropics it seems the sun can be very harsh, and a number of people are using shade cloth to take the edge off the strong sunlight so their plants don't cook. This article covers an experiment that was done by using solar panels instead of shade cloth, to not only limit some of the sunlight but to also generate electricity in the process.
It seems it was quite a success, lowering the heat, reducing water evaporation, and the plants actually produced more fruit.
I have been wondering for a little while myself whether something like this was possible, only I was thinking of semi-transparent solar panels instead. But of course after reading the article it makes perfect sense that installing the solar panels quite high up with large gaps in between each panel will have a similar effect by casting a diffuse shadow and still letting a lot of light through.
Definitely food for thought for anyone looking to get their first or additional solar panels!