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To some extent that falls into the category of "fiddly details." Solar panels are probably not the best choice for use alongside bulk harvested crops like corn,
by fencepost 4y ago
To some extent that falls into the category of "fiddly details." Solar panels are probably not the best choice for use alongside bulk harvested crops like corn, wheat, soybeans and even potatoes, but an awful lot of "produce" crops are harvested by hand.
The reason I say "fiddly details" is because questions like "what's the best spacing between rows of panels" and "do I plant under the panels or just between rows" can be decided as people look into available equipment, land prices, crop variation and flexibility, etc.
- Arnt 4y agoI don't know about "growing crops", but a farm outside the city where I live has sheep grazing under/around solar panels.
- rektide 4y agoHeck yes. It's absurd now but... imagine those crop-water-er things, with a central pivot (ed: "central-pivot-irrigation"). What if instead of just a line of watering, that rotated around, it was a vast overhead rotating circle? Like 80% by area solar panels overhanigng. But also, one radian with all the farm stuff: watering, tiller, planter, harvester? An polar-plotter of tools, with solar panels taking up most everywhere else.
- catmanjan 4y agoI’m actually experimenting with building one of those- the problem is the forces involved compared to the irrigator which is basically just suspending water pipes over the ground
- dylan604 4y agomaybe i'm misremembering, but I was under them impression that the water pressure drove the platform. was i totally wrong on this? i ask, as i would never have guessed adding the weight of solar panels to that would be viable without possibly using some of the generated power to drive a motor.
- mikro2nd 4y agoEarly systems were driven by water pressure. Modern systems have an electric motor for each pair of wheels.