You can install solar panels on agricultural land and still farm on it. You just need to install the panels vertically. It’s called agrivoltaics. The photovoltaic cells can actually produce electricity when they are exposed from either side. It’s just that normal solar panels are opaque on the bottoms side. So for a vertical installation you have to use bifacial panels which are transparent on the other side. And the drop in efficiency in a vertical installation isn’t much compared to a traditional installation, since both sides of one panel now produce electricity, even the shaded side that is only exposed to ambient light produces electricity. And they are much more efficient during their peak hours, since it’s much cooler during sunset and sunrise then the middle of the day. PV panels are less efficient when they get hot.

https://spectrum.ieee.org/amp/agrivoltaics-2666910628

https://youtu.be/LqizLQDi9BM

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In theory a great idea. In reality you get very little space to farm on. Imagine how you drive though the solar panels with an harvester which is as big as 6 rows are wide?

I mean you can shrink down the farming equipment, but farmers make more money not plastering their fields with solar.

If they use solar then they go full south orientation panels because then you don't need to deal with anything on that field anymore.

Also after you install solar panels on a field with heavy equipment the soil is pressed and you will have a few years until you get the soil quality back up.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Not everywhere in the world do they use giant combines to farm like in America. And some crops are planted and harvested by hand like asparagus. Would it work on every farm? No but there might be scenarios where it does.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Yeah, when it comes time to do tillage, that's WILL constrain the directions you can till the ground. Generally, you really want to till at an angle to the direction of planting to break soil compaction better. And to get the proper trash mix into the soil to prevent erosion.

Not a good idea.........