Entries by A. J. Puckett

AgriSolar News Roundup: Dubois Solar, Oorja Funding, Desert Crops, Dutch Solar Trial 

Massachusetts Farmer Identifies Agrivoltaic Benefits  Northfield, Massachusetts, farmer Jesse Robertson-Dubois is identifying benefits of integrating agrivoltaics into farm operations, according to a news release by the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Dubois elaborates on the misconceptions that solar integration into farmland destroys the land and that developer’s “prey” on landowners. Dubois says that not only does this […]

DOE Announces Solar Funding Opportunity

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced a $10 million funding opportunity for “innovative solutions and strategies that maximize benefits and minimize impacts to wildlife and ecosystems from solar energy infrastructure, ” according to a news release by the Solar Energy Technologies Office. The Deploying Solar with Wildlife and Ecosystem Benefits (SolWEB) will fund projects […]

Study: Agrivoltaics Create Energy and Agricultural Opportunities for Communities

Agrivoltaics have been shown to contribute to achieving energy and food goals simultaneously through combining agricultural production with energy production, according to a recent report by Clean Technica. The report finds that global agrivoltaic energy production has grown from 5MW in 2012 to 2,900 MW in 2020. The diverse options available through agrivoltaics can create […]

AgriSolar News Roundup: New Research, Project Nexus, Connecticut Projects Expand

Trials Reveal benefits of Utilizing Agrivoltaic Systems Research trials conducted by a collaboration between the University of Sheffield, World Agroforestry and the Latia Agripreneurship Institute have shown that agrivoltaic practices result in larger crops and reduced water loss, according to a recent report by The Guardian. The report explains that solar panels located above the […]

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Design and Analysis of a Tracking and Backtracking Strategy for PV plants with Horizontal Trackers After Their Conversion to Agrivoltaic Plants

This study discusses the analytics of tracking and backtracking for PV plants with various trackers after being converter to agrisolar plants or operations. Some of the details included in this report are: astronomical considerations, hedgerow crop height, tracking axis’s with and without crops, daily incidental radiation and solar declination, among other topics. These results could be used for implementing new strategies in future agrisolar operations.

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Physical Analysis of the Environmental Impacts of Fishery Complementary Photovoltaic Power Plant

This article discusses the mechanism of local microclimate changes caused by fishery complementary photovoltaic (FPV) power plants to illustrate the impact of FPV power plants in a lake on the environment. It includes details about comprehensive albedo decreases relative to free water surface, water energy change and air vapor pressure deficits. The article also reveals that the FPV panels had a heating effect on the ambient environment, and that the range of this effect was related to water depth.

AgriSolar News Roundup: California Investment, Solar Canals, Solar Oyster Barge Sets Sail

Greenbacker Capital Invests in Solar Development Greenbacker Capital has announced that it will be investing in a California-based solar developer, Noria Energy, according to a recent report. The investment will assist Noria in scaling solar projects that are both ground-mounted and floating solar arrays, known as floatovoltaics. Noria hosts solar operations in both Latin America […]

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Impact of an Agriphotovoltaic System on Metabolites and the Sensorial Quality of Cabbage and its High-Temperature-Extracted Juice

This report discusses the goal of agrisolar systems, which would generate electricity from raised solar panels and allow crop cultivation under the solar panels, and their development. Details of the report include the effect of raised solar panels and their effect on shading, which affects factors of the crops development. This information can be used to potentially optimize the design of agrisolar operations to most effectively benefit the crops included in the agrisolar operation.

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Lettuce Production Under Mini-PV Modules Arranged in Pattern Designs

This study examines a variety of percentages of the total area covered with shade produced by photovoltaic modules on rooftop lettuce crops. The results of the study suggest that in areas of high radiation and temperature(s), it is possible to use the same area on rooftops to produce photovoltaic energy and effectively cultivate plant species that demand little sunlight, such as lettuce. These conclusions mean that rooftop agrisolar is effective when the strategies in this study are taken into consideration.

New York Community Solar Farms to Receive Pollinator-Friendly Installations

Eden Renewables, a New York solar developer, is taking action to support local agriculture by developing eight new pollinator-friendly solar farms in Schodack, Schaghticoke, Glen, and Claverack. Construction is expected to be completed around July 2022. The solar farms will be a huge benefit to pollinators. More than 35 million native grasses and wildflowers, all […]