AP: Hops for beer flourish under solar panels. They're not the only crop thriving in the shade.

[OKIsItJustMe]

Hops for beer flourish under solar panels. They’re not the only crop thriving in the shade.

BY MATTHIAS SCHRADER AND DANA BELTAJI
Published 1:57 PM EDT, July 21, 2023

AU in der HALLERTAU, Germany (AP) — Bright green vines snake upwards 20 feet (six meters) toward an umbrella of solar panels at Josef Wimmer’s farm in Bavaria.

He grows hops, used to make beer, and in recent years has also been generating electricity, with solar panels sprawled across 1.3 hectares (32 acres) of his land in the small hop-making town of Au in der Hallertau, an hour north of Munich in southern Germany.

The pilot project — a collaboration between Wimmer and local solar technology company Hallertauer Handelshaus — was set up in the fall of last year. The electricity made at this farm can power around 250 households, and the hops get shade they’ll need more often as climate change turbocharges summer heat.

Solar panels atop crops has been gaining traction in recent years as incentives and demand for clean energy skyrocket. Researchers look into making the best use of agricultural land, and farmers seek ways to shield their crops from blistering heat, keep in moisture and potentially increase yields. The team in Germany says its effort is the first agrivoltaic project that’s solely focused on hops, but projects have sprouted around the world in several countries for a variety of grains, fruits and vegetables.

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[Think. Again.]

1. I hear that Blueberries are a really good agrisolar crop.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

2. Throwing shade?...or is this a major unintended side affect benefit, has to be factored into carbon

use by solar panel manufacturing!?

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. NREL: Agrivoltaics

Agrivoltaics

Agrivoltaics pairs solar with agriculture, creating energy and providing space for crops, grazing, and native habitats under and between panels. NREL studies economic and ecological tradeoffs of agrivoltaic systems.



To meet renewable energy goals by installing large-scale solar operations, agricultural land may be taken out of food production, but agrivoltaics offers the potential to balance food production and renewable energy goals. Under the right conditions, both crops and solar production can do better when paired together, and solar installations can provide surprising economic and ecological benefits.

Agrivoltaics is not always more expensive than traditional solar development, but certain configurations can be more complex for planning and permitting. A successful agrivoltaics project requires two or more groups who often have very different priorities—the farmer or land manager and the solar developer—to find a solution that works for both. NREL provides research and analytical support to document the benefits and costs of agrivoltaics and works to bring local community stakeholders and solar developers together to find innovative solutions that can be shared and put into practice at scale.

Benefits of Agrivoltaics
Ecosystem Services, Pollinator Habitat, and Stormwater Management
Conventional site preparation for installing ground-mounted PV systems—which typically can involve grading, compacting soil, and using herbicides—can lead to impacts on soil health and water quality that affect the feasibility of crop production and grazing. Solar installations that preserve native habitats and ecosystems and create habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects can potentially save on operations and maintenance costs over the life of the project.

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