Solar panels and spinach could be the key to avoiding potential land use conflicts between agriculture and energy production, according to a University of Alberta study..There’s a common perception in the agricultural community that solar panels and farming are incompatible. But UofA researchers found certain crops — like spinach — would not only survive, but thrive, planted under the solar arrays..That’s because solar panels create a microclimate beneath them that shields plants from direct sunlight and generate ambient heat that favours certain crops like greens, grapes, tomatoes, berries and broccoli. Even cannabis.."We know how to generate electricity from sunlight. We also know how to grow crops," lead soil scientist Guillermo Hernandez told the Canadian Press. "But the question is, can we do the two things in the same space?".Known as ‘agrivoltaics’, the practice integrates solar panels and crop production to make simultaneous use of land for both food and energy. According to the study, agrivoltaics can also reduce emissions and make more efficient use of water.. Solar efficiency in CanadaAlberta and southern Saskatchewan have the highest solar efficiency ratings in Canada. .In the 25-day project, researchers compared the growth of spinach plants under three different conditions — with no solar panel or shaded by either a thin or a thick panel — and also measured how much electricity can be harvested from each type of panel. .Not only did the plants thrive, but they also had a beneficial impact on the efficiency of the panels by absorbing the excess heat and lowering the ambient temperatures. And according to solar efficiency maps, southern Alberta and Saskatchewan are ideally situated to deploy the concept..It can it be deployed on a large-scale basis, but backyard gardeners and urban spaces can also benefit. It can also be tailored for grazing animals, such as sheep..Once the data are fully analyzed, the results will be published in a peer-reviewed paper..It comes as policy makers on both sides of the border attempt to reconcile food security and renewable energy production..On May 31 the US Senate introduced the Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Act, which would require USDA and the US Department of Energy to jointly carry out a study on agrivoltaics systems and develop a regulatory definition to formulate land use policies..That’s because the DOE expects ground-based solar technologies will require about 10 million acres by 2050 — equivalent to half a percent of the total contiguous area of US. By contrast, Canada has about 89 million acres..Although opposition to solar farming is high because it overlaps with land that could be cultivated, a study run by Michigan Technological University in 2021 found more than 80% of respondents would be more likely to support solar development if it was combined with production of both energy and agriculture.
