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It seems these are going onto existing pastureland, which should be able to continue present production. The Philippines has a great deal of sheltered water th

It seems these are going onto existing pastureland, which should be able to continue present production. The Philippines has a great deal of sheltered water that could host floatovoltaic installations that can opoerate more efficiently than on land. One of the great advantages of solar is that many small installations, close to where power is needed, are better than one big one. We may hope they are taking advantage of this capability, too often ignored.

konschubert 3y ago
You can still have sheep grazing under solar panels! They keep the grass down and they're happy about the shade. It's a win for all sides and I've seen it used extensively here in Germany.
- cm2187 3y ago
  Doesn't grass need photosynthesis?
  - konschubert 3y ago
    Grass doesn't need direct sunlight to grow. Since the sun moves, only a very small percentage of the area is in shadow all day anyways. I am passing by a solar farm as I am writing this. And The grass below and beside the panels looks the same. Here is a pic I found on the internet: https://cals.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Sheep-Solar-Panels.jpg https://cals.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Sheep-Solar...
    - whatshisface 3y ago
      But there is no such thing as a free lunch, although the grass will transpire less water in a solar farm, it also doesn't grow as fast.
      - konschubert 3y ago
        Maybe. Maybe! But you get a ton of electricity
      - bigbillheck 3y ago
        There's a lot of things that go into plant yield, and it's not just as simple as "less sunlight, less grass".
      - angiosperm 3y ago
        Most plants can use only a few hours of direct sunlight before they run out of stuff to photosynthesize out of. They endure the rest of the day trying not to get dehydrated, and spend the night stockpiling raw materials to process next day. Cereal crops are bred to be able to use more sun than most plants; most chase other goals than the big seeds we select for.
  - margalabargala 3y ago
    There is sufficient indirect light underneath ground mount solar that many plants can grow happily. Lots of plants prefer shade over direct sun. This is also why bifacial solar panels are so much more efficient.
swores 3y ago
> One of the great advantages of solar is that many small installations, close to where power is needed, are better than one big one. I'm sure it's definitely true when using the same technology in both sides of the comparison (solar panels), but is it so cut and dry compared to current and/or future iterations of alternatives like this? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower
- pjc50 3y ago
  The cost decreases in solar panels have basically killed all the more complicated technologies in favor of Really Big Photodiode.
  - angiosperm 3y ago
    True. People doing solar concentrators have pivoted to supplying process heat, which can be collected most efficiently that way. It must be said, we use a lot of process heat. Heating people's houses would be another good use of the technology in places where the trenches and plumbing are cheap enough.

konschubert 3y ago

You can still have sheep grazing under solar panels! They keep the grass down and they're happy about the shade. It's a win for all sides and I've seen it used extensively here in Germany.

cm2187 3y ago
Doesn't grass need photosynthesis?
- konschubert 3y ago
  Grass doesn't need direct sunlight to grow. Since the sun moves, only a very small percentage of the area is in shadow all day anyways. I am passing by a solar farm as I am writing this. And The grass below and beside the panels looks the same. Here is a pic I found on the internet: https://cals.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Sheep-Solar-Panels.jpg https://cals.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Sheep-Solar...
  - whatshisface 3y ago
    But there is no such thing as a free lunch, although the grass will transpire less water in a solar farm, it also doesn't grow as fast.
    - konschubert 3y ago
      Maybe. Maybe! But you get a ton of electricity
    - bigbillheck 3y ago
      There's a lot of things that go into plant yield, and it's not just as simple as "less sunlight, less grass".
    - angiosperm 3y ago
      Most plants can use only a few hours of direct sunlight before they run out of stuff to photosynthesize out of. They endure the rest of the day trying not to get dehydrated, and spend the night stockpiling raw materials to process next day. Cereal crops are bred to be able to use more sun than most plants; most chase other goals than the big seeds we select for.
- margalabargala 3y ago
  There is sufficient indirect light underneath ground mount solar that many plants can grow happily. Lots of plants prefer shade over direct sun. This is also why bifacial solar panels are so much more efficient.

swores 3y ago

> One of the great advantages of solar is that many small installations, close to where power is needed, are better than one big one. I'm sure it's definitely true when using the same technology in both sides of the comparison (solar panels), but is it so cut and dry compared to current and/or future iterations of alternatives like this? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower

pjc50 3y ago
The cost decreases in solar panels have basically killed all the more complicated technologies in favor of Really Big Photodiode.
- angiosperm 3y ago
  True. People doing solar concentrators have pivoted to supplying process heat, which can be collected most efficiently that way. It must be said, we use a lot of process heat. Heating people's houses would be another good use of the technology in places where the trenches and plumbing are cheap enough.