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This is a very CA-centric research topic. In most of the US heartland theres millions and millions and millions of acres of farmland. There’s no need and limite
by ed25519FUUU 4y ago
This is a very CA-centric research topic. In most of the US heartland theres millions and millions and millions of acres of farmland. There’s no need and limited benefit to mixing PV with agriculture.
And the places where it does make sense it makes sense only for running goats around in the PV sites to keep weeds down.
- lovemenot 4y agoThat's a very USA-centric comment. To the best of my knowledge, the two countries doing most research on agrivoltaics are Japan and China.
- ed25519FUUU 4y agoThe countries that develop, build, and sell solar panels? Not surprising.
- lovemenot 4y agoSure. But also, consider the availability of arable land relative to population. I would argue countries like USA, Canada, Brazil, Australia are the outliers. Most of the world cannot afford to be as dismissive of land use optimisation as some US Midwestern farmers appear to be.
- pigsty 4y agoFarming and hot sunlight isn’t something that only exists in california. High population density countries also do farming and using every inch of land is essential. Demand for things sensitive to harsh sunlight (herbs, berries, and so on) or in places with long dry seasons means growing under shaded areas has advantages, and doubly so if you can extract energy while doing so. That’s also not exclusive to california.