This video is brought to you by all myÂ
great Patrons at Patreon.com/mattferrell We have a world population expected toÂ
grow by 1.2 billion people within 15 years,  coupled with a growing demand for meat, eggs andÂ
dairy, which soak up over 70% of fresh water for  crops, plus electricity demand thatâs growingÂ
even faster than population growth ⌠what are  we supposed to do about all of that? Well, we canÂ
combine two of my favorite things: technology and  food. Both of which Iâve been accused of havingÂ
too much of. But, could combining solar panels  plus farming be a viable solution to all of thoseÂ
problems? Letâs take a closer look at electrifying  our crops ⌠not literally electrifying crops âŚÂ
never mind ⌠letâs take a closer look at adding  solar to our farm land as well as some of theÂ
side benefits ⌠and challenges ⌠it creates. Iâm Matt Ferrell ⌠welcome to Undecided. The problem with solar panels is that they needÂ
a lot of space to generate serious amounts of  electricity. Agrivoltaics or APV for short,Â
combines agriculture with electricity generation  by farming under a canopy of solar panels ⌠andÂ
thereâs some really interesting recent examples  that make a compelling case for it, but beforeÂ
getting into that itâs a good idea to understand  the challenges around solar parks in general andÂ
some of the solutions that have been developed. Solar parks in rural areas have been aroundÂ
for almost two decades. The major problem  with this type of solar installation is thatÂ
the ground beneath the panels canât be used,  mainly due to the small spaces betweenÂ
the rows of panels which arenât large  enough for modern farmingÂ
equipment to pass through. It is possible to convert a typicalÂ
solar park into dual land use when  itâs designated as a living area forÂ
grazing by small livestock like chicken,  geese, and sheep, as well as for beekeeping. These animals are beneficial to solarÂ
farms because they reduce the cost of  maintaining vegetation growth andÂ
donât introduce any risk to the  panels themselves. The same canât be saidÂ
of something a bit larger like pigs, goats,  horses, or cattle ⌠itâs a knownÂ
fact that cattle hate solar panels. When more space is allowed in between theÂ
solar panel rows, crops can be grown there.  However, the space beneath the panels stillÂ
isnât usable and needs to be maintained.  This is considered alternating land useÂ
instead of dual land use because there  are areas of the land that are one or theÂ
other ... not both solar and crops at the  same time. The land between the rows willÂ
be shaded during some hours of the day,  meaning youâre altering the characteristics ofÂ
the land and the types of crops that can be grown. So what if we started to go vertical withÂ
our solar panels? Thatâs where we start to  get some interesting alternatives to standardÂ
ground mounted solar park style installations. Using vertically mounted bifacial modules allowsÂ
for more arable land. And if you donât know what  bifacial solar panels are, they can collectÂ
solar energy from both sides of the panel.  This type of installation would work particularlyÂ
well in areas that suffer from wind erosion,  since the structures reduce wind speeds whichÂ
can help protect the land and crops grown there.  The bifacial panels also can generate moreÂ
power per square meter than traditional  single faced panels and donâtÂ
require any moving parts. Then thereâs also the optionÂ
of mounting panels on stilts,  which allows farming machinery to pass underneath. In this design you have to maintain a certainÂ
clearance between rows to protect the stilts  from the machinery, so there is a modestÂ
arable land surface loss ⌠usually 3-10%.  Many variations on this theme are currently underÂ
active research. Instead of fixed panel mounting,  panels can be mounted with actuators, allowingÂ
the panels to tilt in one or two directions,  which allows for both solar energyÂ
and plant growth optimization.  This can be particularly important duringÂ
the initial stages of growth for some crops. But what about growing cropsÂ
⌠UNDER ⌠the elevated panels? Youâd think that solar panels casting shadeÂ
on plants would be a bad thing, but the way  photosynthesis works makes things interesting.Â
Plants grow their mass out of CO2 with the help  of sunlight. They literally are growing from theÂ
air ⌠BUT ⌠not all available sunlight can be  converted into biomass. After a certain threshold,Â
which is called the light saturation point, plants  canât absorb any more energy, so they need to getÂ
rid of that excess energy by evaporating water. If we oversimplify this, we can divideÂ
the plants into two groups: âIâll have my  light supersizedâ plants and âcan I order myÂ
light off the kids menuâ plants. That group,  the so-called shade plants, are particularlyÂ
useful in combination with solar panels,  since the panels obviously blockÂ
some of the available sunlight. Now sun plants are sometimes referredÂ
to as shade-intolerant plants,  which makes them sound like jerks. ThisÂ
is a slight misnomer, since these plants  just require more sunlight than shade plantsÂ
but can also suffer from too much sunlight.  When any plant reaches their threshold, theyÂ
can suffer from âsunburnâ and heat stress,  just like me, causing increased amountsÂ
of water evaporation ⌠just like me. According to a report from the German FraunhoferÂ
Institute for Solar Energy, nearly all crops can  be cultivated under solar panels, but there may beÂ
some yield loss during the less sunny seasons for  sun hungry plants. In the RESOLA project conductedÂ
between 2016 and 2018 in the German area of Lake  Constance or the Bodensee as the Germans call it,Â
they demonstrated that during a relatively âwet  and coldâ year in 2016 APV-crop yields wereÂ
25% less than the non-solar reference field,  but in the âdry and hotâ years of 2017 and 2018Â
the APV-crops yields exceeded the reference field.  Thatâs a sign that APV could be aÂ
game changer in hot and arid regions. The amount of experience with agrivoltaics isÂ
still fairly limited and the big successes have  been mainly with shade tolerant crops likeÂ
lettuce, spinach, potatoes, and tomatoes. Which leads us to some of theÂ
super promising examples that  make a compelling case for agrivoltaics. But before I get to that, I want to give aÂ
quick shout out to today's sponsor ... me!  Seriously though, be sure to check out my followÂ
up podcast based on your feedback and comments  on these videos, Still To Be Determined, whichÂ
you can find on all the major podcast services  out there or at stilltbd.fm, as well as a videoÂ
version here on YouTube. I'll put all the links  in the description. It's a fun way toÂ
continue the discussion on these topics. Letâs switch over to TheÂ
Netherlands. Tiny as it is,  it is the second largestÂ
exporter of food in the world! The company âGroenLevenâ, a subsidiary of theÂ
BayWa group, which is headquartered in Munich  Germany, has started several pilot projectsÂ
with local fruit farmers. Their largest site  is in the village of Babberich in the east ofÂ
the Netherlands, close to the German border,  at a large 4 hectare raspberry farm, which isÂ
about 10 acres for those of us not on metric.  Theyâve converted 3 hectares into a 2 MWÂ
agrivoltaics farm. The remaining part was left  in a traditional farming setup. Raspberries areÂ
a fragile, shade tolerant fruit thatâs typically  grown in rows covered with plastic to help protectÂ
them from the elements and ensure high yields. In this project the raspberry plants are grownÂ
directly under the solar panels, which have been  placed in alternating rows facing east and west.Â
This maximizes solar yield, but also protects the  plants from the prevailing winds. They did testÂ
traditional solar panels in this project, but  they took away too much of the available sunlight,Â
so they switched to panels with a larger spacing  between the solar cells to let more light through.Â
The amount and quality of the fruit produced under  the panels was the same or better as the fruitÂ
produced under the traditional plastic tunnels. One big benefit for the farmer was the amountÂ
of work saved from managing the plastic tunnels,  which are easily damagedÂ
by hail and summer storms.  In those cases fruits may becomeÂ
unsellable from the damage,  but they still have to be harvested anyway.Â
During the last summer storms, the fruits under  the panels didnât sustain any damage, while theÂ
harvest from the reference field was destroyed. Another major difference between the argrivolaticÂ
test field and reference field: the temperature  was several degrees cooler under the solar panels.Â
Not only is it more pleasant for the farm workers,  but it also reduced the amount of irrigationÂ
water by 50% compared to the reference field.  Even cooler is how the crops affect the solarÂ
panels. The crops and their limited water  evaporation actually keep the panels cool. SolarÂ
panels actually donât like to be hot, since it  reduces their energy efficiency; the cooler aÂ
panel can be, the more energy it will provide. So just based on that, agrivoltaics appearsÂ
to be a winning strategy. If we were to  convert even a fraction of our currentÂ
agricultural land use into agrivoltaics,  a large portion of our energy needs can be metÂ
⌠easily. And with the added benefits in reduced  water consumption, agrivoltaics can also be aÂ
game changer in hot and arid regions of the world. So whatâs keeping us from rolling out thisÂ
dual-purpose, game-changing system at a massive  scale? Whatâs the catch? Energy productionÂ
is a different ball game from agriculture,  which can slow down farmersÂ
from embracing the technology.  But the actual obstacles are sadlyÂ
⌠mundane ⌠and some frustrating. It boils down to the the not-in-my-backyardÂ
effect (NIMBY), bureaucracy, and the free market. So letâs start with the NIMBY crowd. Not allÂ
renewable energy solutions are receiving a  warm reception. Prime example is obviously theÂ
sight and sounds of a giant wind turbine in the  vicinity of your home. Community pushbackÂ
from the residents of Reno County in Kansas  killed a proposed NextEra EnergyÂ
Inc. wind farm. Also in agriculture,  there are examples where current laws enabledÂ
building giant biogas plants that werenât always  welcomed by the local communities. No matter theÂ
reason behind the community outrage and pushback,  it's this type of reaction that hasÂ
killed or delayed many projects,  as well as made many local governmentsÂ
gun-shy on pushing them forward. So in order to prevent communities turning againstÂ
agrivoltaics it's important to control its spread,  especially pseudo-agrivoltaics (aÂ
practice to build large solar farms  under the guise of agriculture). In protecting  the peopleâs interest it helps to buildÂ
community support, which is essential. The Fraunhofer institute recommends that 1. Agrivoltaics should be deployed mainlyÂ
where synergistic effects can be achieved,  for instance by reducing theÂ
water demand for crop production. And... 2. To maintain proper localÂ
support, agrivoltaic systems  should preferably be operated by local farms,Â
energy cooperatives or regional investors. With these guidelines inÂ
mind, community resistance  against agrivoltaics can be kept to a minimum. Next, rules, regulations,Â
and bureaucracy can also hold  it back, which varies from countryÂ
to country or even from city to city. âAs part of its agricultural policy, the EUÂ
grants direct payments for land used primarily  for agriculture. So, an important questionÂ
is whether farmland loses its eligibility  for financial support due to the use ofÂ
agrivoltaics [âŚ.] ⌠Whether the land is  mostly used for agriculturalÂ
purposes is decisive hereâ. In the EU, agrivoltaic systems are usuallyÂ
considered to be physical structures in terms  of the building regulation laws, so they needÂ
a building permit. In Germany for instance,  itâs usually prohibited in rural areas unless itÂ
doesnât conflict with a list of public interests.  Agrivoltaics, however, isnât onÂ
the list of public interests yet. Lastly and maybe most important is the freeÂ
market, which is pretty easy to wrap your  head around because it all comes down to costs andÂ
investment. Just like putting solar on your home,  the big number to look at is cost perÂ
kWh. Because agrivoltaic solar doesnât  yield as much energy per square meterÂ
compared to a traditional solar park,  on top of the construction costs, theÂ
cost per kWh can be 10-20% higher. And thereâs the big question of who owns theÂ
solar panels. In the Dutch example, the farmer  wasnât the investor or owner of the installation.Â
A farmerâs willingness to participate all comes  down to avoiding negative impacts to the cropÂ
yield and having lower operational costs from  the solar panels. In this case the solar arrayÂ
owner was able to demonstrate those benefits. The Fraunhofer institute found that farmersÂ
are only willing to engage in a project if the  crop yield never falls below 80% of the referenceÂ
field, but ... thatâs only if the farmer owns the  solar array. That's because the farmer can makeÂ
up the crop shortfall from the energy produced.  But that also raises the question, if they ownÂ
the array, how are they going to optimize the  solar panels ⌠for solar energy production or forÂ
crop yield? For the highest energy production per  square meter, solar parks win out. For the highestÂ
guaranteed crop production, dedicated farming wins  out. It all comes down to costs and investments.Â
Without government intervention through subsidies  or price guarantees, agrivoltaics may notÂ
stand a chance against other solar initiatives. Agrivoltaics is a very promising concept that hasÂ
the potential to kill two birds with one stone:Â Â helping our food supply and transitioningÂ
us to a cleaner energy source.  The main benefit comes from the fact that solarÂ
panels are great at reducing GHG emissions,  without sacrificing arable land. EspeciallyÂ
if we can convert land thatâs currently being  used to grow biofuel crops, like palm oil and cornÂ
farms, into land for actual human food production  and consumption ⌠or even reforestation, thatÂ
would be a huge win! Looking at the big picture  and deciding where we want to go can help us findÂ
ways to overcome the difficulties along the way. Dave Borlace over at the âJust Have A ThinkâÂ
YouTube channel created an incredible introductory  video on the agrivoltaics concept as well, soÂ
be sure to check out that video too. But what do  you think? Should we be trying to use agrivoltaicsÂ
everywhere? Are there any other dual use renewable  energy examples that you know about? Jump intoÂ
the comments and let me know. And a special  thank you to Patreon producer Rob van der WouwÂ
for all his help on pulling this script together.  Thank you, Rob. And thanks to all of my patronsÂ
for helping to make these videos possible.  If you liked this video be sure to check outÂ
one of the ones I have linked right here.  Be sure to subscribe and hit the notificationÂ
bell if you think Iâve earned it.  Thanks so much for watching andÂ
Iâll see you in the next one.
I love the idea of things serving multiple purposes. I can see this benefitting us in the future by doing three things:
If we can use land and serve these three purposes there are some huge wins there. I would love to see mini communities that capture drinking water, produce energy for the homes surrounding these farms, and provide community and food growing opportunities through the agriculture crops.
As discussed in the video, the economic viability needs to be determined. And you can only grow shade tolerant crops like this, but it seems like we could make more self-sufficient communities if we went in this direction. Thoughts?
Any costs & returns analysis on the electricity production since the panels have bigger gaps to allow sunlight through?
Almost ten years ago my dad installed a solar array on a local hog farm. It produced, at the time, about half the needed power. He paid it off super quickly and has expanded and now his whole operation is run off of solar.
I wish all parking and half of neighborhood street had solar overhead
I thought there was a problem with population decrease ( although âproblemâ depends on whoâs looking at it) rather than increase?
This was really fascinating to watch. I love that they're doing this. What a great way to create a new way to use farmland for multiple reasons.
What a great idea to grow crops under solar paneling, but small animals to, like chicken and ships ( I also recomand rabits too :) Great engeniering.
The following submission statement was provided by /u/minimallyviablehuman:
I love the idea of things serving multiple purposes. I can see this benefitting us in the future by doing three things:
If we can use land and serve these three purposes there are some huge wins there. I would love to see mini communities that capture drinking water, produce energy for the homes surrounding these farms, and provide community and food growing opportunities through the agriculture crops.
As discussed in the video, the economic viability needs to be determined. And you can only grow shade tolerant crops like this, but it seems like we could make more self-sufficient communities if we went in this direction. Thoughts?
Please reply to OP's comment here: /r/Futurology/comments/q7f0zd/solar_panels_plus_farming_agrivoltaics_explained/hgi3m45/
It looks very efficient, I could use a set up as that to supply my small cafe. I know the farmer get very little for their crops and the chefs pay a lot for vegetables, if they are organic and grown locally. So if I bypass the middle men I could actually serve better food for the same money. Win win for me, thank you