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Beneath Solar Panels, the Seeds of Opportunity Sprout
https://www.nrel.gov/news/features/2019/beneath-solar-panels-the-seeds-of-opportunity-sprout.htmlBeneath Solar Panels, the Seeds of Opportunity Sprout
Low-Impact Development of Solar Installations Could Be Win-Win-Win for Food, Water, and Renewable Energy
On a humid, overcast day in central Minnesota, a dozen researchers crouch in the grass between rows of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. Only their bright yellow hard hats are clearly visible above the tall, nearly overgrown prarie grasses—which are growing exactly as expected.
Bent over white, square frames, some of the researchers catalog the number and type of native plants growing on a square foot of land. Others press double-forked meters into the ground, measuring the soil moisture below the solar panels and in open ground. Nearby, beekeepers check on the health of local hives.
Their research is part of an ongoing study to quantify the benefits of a new approach to solar installations: low-impact solar development.
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Low-Impact Development of Solar Installations Could Be Win-Win-Win for Food, Water, and Renewable Energy
On a humid, overcast day in central Minnesota, a dozen researchers crouch in the grass between rows of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. Only their bright yellow hard hats are clearly visible above the tall, nearly overgrown prarie grasses—which are growing exactly as expected.
Bent over white, square frames, some of the researchers catalog the number and type of native plants growing on a square foot of land. Others press double-forked meters into the ground, measuring the soil moisture below the solar panels and in open ground. Nearby, beekeepers check on the health of local hives.
Their research is part of an ongoing study to quantify the benefits of a new approach to solar installations: low-impact solar development.
By 2030, utility-scale solar installations could cover almost 2 million acres of land in the United States. Traditional solar development would monopolize this land for just one use: energy production.
Low-impact solar development, on the other hand, might also improve soil health, retain water, nurture native species, produce food, and provide even lower-cost energy to local communities.
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3 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
...mushrooms? 
So, you prefer this sort of energy/land use?
I rather like this one:
https://www.nrel.gov/state-local-tribal/blog/posts/solar-sheep-and-voltaic-veggies-uniting-solar-power-and-agriculture.html
Solar Sheep and Voltaic Veggies: Uniting Solar Power and Agriculture
June 06, 2018 by Benjamin Mow
Sheep grazing in a field of solar panels is becoming an increasingly common sight as both farmers and solar developers are starting to experiment with co-locating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and agriculture. Small-scale, off-grid PV systems located on farm land was one of the first applications of solar power (PDF). The arrangement made sense for low-power agricultural needs in locations where running distribution lines was too expensive or not possible. More recently, the idea of solar systems on farm land has expanded to large-scale, grid-connected systems that have vegetation growing around and under the panels and/or livestock grazing on the same parcel of land (see Figure 1).
Based on the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Vision Study (PDF), solar energy capacity in the year 2030 could reach 329 gigawatts (GW), which would require approximately 1.8 million acres (PDF) of land. While this represents less than 0.1% of total land area in the contiguous United States, there is growing concern over the land use impacts of solar energy development on fertile agricultural land, which can consequently displace farming and food production. As a result, states have started to enact policies aimed at protecting agricultural land from solar development. For instance, Senate Bill No. 943 (which restricts PV facilities of over 2 megawatts on farmland) recently passed the Connecticut General Assembly and counties in North Carolina and Washington have imposed restrictions on large scale solar projects citing concerns over the loss of farmland.
As an alternative to restricting solar installations on agricultural land via policy measures, low-impact solar development and co-location of solar and agriculture is a technique currently being researched that has the potential to alleviate agriculture displacement by allowing solar arrays, vegetation, and livestock to occupy the same land area.
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June 06, 2018 by Benjamin Mow
Sheep grazing in a field of solar panels is becoming an increasingly common sight as both farmers and solar developers are starting to experiment with co-locating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and agriculture. Small-scale, off-grid PV systems located on farm land was one of the first applications of solar power (PDF). The arrangement made sense for low-power agricultural needs in locations where running distribution lines was too expensive or not possible. More recently, the idea of solar systems on farm land has expanded to large-scale, grid-connected systems that have vegetation growing around and under the panels and/or livestock grazing on the same parcel of land (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Grazing Sheep Under Ground-Mounted Solar Installation
Grazing sheep can help control vegetation height at grount-mounted solar installation sites. Image used with permission from sunraisedfarms.com.
Based on the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Vision Study (PDF), solar energy capacity in the year 2030 could reach 329 gigawatts (GW), which would require approximately 1.8 million acres (PDF) of land. While this represents less than 0.1% of total land area in the contiguous United States, there is growing concern over the land use impacts of solar energy development on fertile agricultural land, which can consequently displace farming and food production. As a result, states have started to enact policies aimed at protecting agricultural land from solar development. For instance, Senate Bill No. 943 (which restricts PV facilities of over 2 megawatts on farmland) recently passed the Connecticut General Assembly and counties in North Carolina and Washington have imposed restrictions on large scale solar projects citing concerns over the loss of farmland.
As an alternative to restricting solar installations on agricultural land via policy measures, low-impact solar development and co-location of solar and agriculture is a technique currently being researched that has the potential to alleviate agriculture displacement by allowing solar arrays, vegetation, and livestock to occupy the same land area.
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