The US solar industry is riding a wave of support from farmers, who are deploying new agrivoltaic technology to harvest solar energy while continuing to work their fields. The agrivoltaic movement is an important development in the renewable energy field because it pulls the rug out from under critics, who argue that solar arrays are an inappropriate use of farmland. The only thing missing now is an aesthetic improvement, and the European research firm AgroSolar Europe has the solution.
For those of you new to the topic, agrivoltaics is a developing discipline that leverages solar infrastructure for agriculture. Agrivoltaic arrays are matched with crops that do well in partial shade. In addition to improving yields and protecting sensitive crops from overheating, the shady micro-climate can also conserve water, prevent erosion, and improve soil health. Agrivoltaic technology is a significant step up from the early days of large-scale solar development, when the preference was to cut costs by situating the solar panels close to the ground, on gravel beds or short turf grass. As the cost of solar equipment began to drop, developers began to explore a more expansive approach to ground treatment