Solar panels above waterways and farms. WIN-WIN!

Agrivoltaics and Solar Canals have been around for a while now, but they haven't exactly 'gone viral' have they? So, why have such blindingly obvious renewable solutions struggled to gain mainstream support?

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References

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USA Agrivoltaics

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[Realciderreviews]

The New England Solar Farm near Armidale, NSW, Australia was built in sheep grazing land. Today there are 6000 sheep living under the 400MW solar farm. The sheep eat the grass reducing maintenance costs. The panels drip dew into the grass and protect from frost that lengthens the growing season of the grass. Meanwhile the panels shelter the sheep from the rain which improves wool quality. Everybody from the farmers to the solar owners benefits.

[charlespaynter]

I’m a UK farmer and analysis of our jobs shows that we farmers are essentially solar harvesters whether it is growing plants for food or employing technology to produce energy.

Currently there’s a perception by those (usually with valuable property here in the UK countryside) that it’s either use farmland to grow food =good👍or ‘waste’ this valuable resource by producing electricity through “rip off” get rich schemes by those “determined to wreck our wonderful countryside” =bad👎

We need to move on from this ignorant nonsense and, with smart technology, start integrating all types of energy production with food production so that we can more easily access benefits such as the decarbonisation of agriculture through electrification of farm equipment for example
Currently there’s are too many naysayers and too many with vested interests in the status quo holding sway, dragging their feet and stalling the development of this game changing approach.

[FuIhat]

Farmers in Australia receive $1500 per acre for a solar farm, the benefits are the grassland is protected and the sheep can still graze the land.

[joannegailiusfullcirclephy]

To respond to your question: We're all in. We;ve been electrifying our farm equipment, so the solar panels "gas up" our farm equipment.

[tomsalmon]

This should be compulsory viewing for all the planning departments across the UK!

[Mastermind]

As an engineer working for one of the bigger PV hardware makers and directly helping support Agrivoltaics developments, I think this is a VERY under-appreciated area. So many benefits of the whole system come from synergizing PV infrastructure with crops and other tangential infrastructure. You have covered many of the key benefits in this video and others:
Cooler crops = better yields and less water usage; PV coverage can help add frost protection to sensitive crops; farmers gain financial diversification to resist crop price or yield downturns; animal agriculture gains shading for hotter and hotter areas and can synergize well with PV sites that need undergrowth control while the animals help to trample and fertilize the soil to make it resistant to erosion and deterioration

[petewright]

I have a large commercial greenhouse here in the UK. It needs shading in the summer. Maybe this could be useful 🤔

[jonathanclutton]

Speed the day when 'solar panels on farms ruins our countryside ' changes to 'why is that field a barren monoculture instead of a biodiverse regenerative green solar farm?' Take solar panels, extend the legs from 5 feet to 14 feet, and watch the magic happen! No brainer.

[arleneallen]

Agrivoltaics is one of the easier win-wins we have been given. Like any recent development, it doesn't have commoditized components and maintenance practices just yet, but with increased implementation those will come. The NIMBY crowd has made renewables very difficult where I live, and this type of PV gets us some wins without massive litigation. I still personally feel we need to somehow educate (or dominate) the NIMBY crowd as far as priorities are concerned. The view, much as I like it, is a lower priority than stabilizing our planet.

[peterjol]

I used to notice that the leaves on the rows of potatoes my dad planted in our large garden when I was a kid never grew up as high (and the potatoes were never quite as big) as the ones that had a little bit of shading from the day's sun. A few rows of solar panels above them might have improved my Chip dinners supply, lol

[Bushman]

It’s one of the more logical and efficient methods in use.

Saves soil from dehydrating, which improves crop yields, all under the canopy of solar panels.

[jf-bezy]

Big oil has certainly kept this information out of our news.

[williamarmstrong]

I am constantly countering the misinformation and lies being spread by idiots against agrivoltaics.
Thank you for giving me the perfect balanced video to post as an answer to their incorect statments.

[crispinholliday]

Really super video today. The key processes and issues described very accurately and clearly. Thanks for doing such a good job informing people of what’s going on and what we can do.

[LeiChat]

So many papers from around the world all highlighting the merits. Thanks for sharing. ❤

Such a shame that individuals with no capacity for critical thinking are meanwhile promoting "drill baby drill". 😥

[mellissadalby]

The corporate profit motive has scuttled so many good possibilies all throughout history.
To a real degree, this is why we can't have nice things.

[Pcoakaloid]

Just waiting on solar to get delivered to my house well excited.

[kfield]

Clearly explained and great editing/graphics/presentation as always. Your videos are a joy to watch 😊 Surely agri-voltaics are a win-win for everyone!

[joweb]

Cool. Floating solar on reservoirs have similar benefits.

[JamesBaleLA]

Agrivoltaics just seems like a win-win in every way you look at it.