Agrivoltaic Farming

About Agrivoltaic Farming:

• It is the practice of growing crops underneath solar panels.
• The panels are positioned 2-3 metres off the ground and sit at an angle of 30 degrees, providing shade and offering crops protection from the weather.
• This farming primarily focuses on the simultaneous use of land for both agriculture and solar energy generation. 
• It’s also sometimes referred to as Agri solar, dual-use solar, or low-impact solar. 
• Solar panels have to sometimes be elevated or suspended to allow plants to grow beneath them.
• Another option is putting them on the roofs of greenhouses. This allows enough light and rainwater to reach the crops, as well as providing access to farm machinery.
• It uses poles or frames to mount solar panels on the ground, leaving space for crops to grow under or around them. Some solar panels can also rotate or form a canopy to adjust the amount of sunlight and shade on the crops.
• Advantages
  • This increases land-use efficiency, as it lets solar farms and agriculture share ground, rather than making them compete against one another.
  • And certain crops appear to thrive when grown in such environments, according to a number of recent studies.
  • The shade from the panels protects vegetables from heat stress and water loss.