Farming crops under solar panel installations—a practice known as agrivoltaics—has been a boon in many ways. It’s a highly efficient use of land that can reduce electricity costs while protecting crops from extreme weather. But there’s always been one huge drawback: The shadows that solar panels cast inhibit photosynthesis, minimizing plants’ growth potential.
Now, a breakthrough may be on the horizon: A new tinted panel design can filter certain light wavelengths through to crops, while maintaining electricity-harnessing elements, according to a new study published in Advanced Energy Materials. As Anthropocene reports, basil and spinach grown during the study had much higher above-ground masses—63 percent and 35 percent respectively—compared to the same produce grown under clear panels. The harvest from the tinted panels was also richer in protein. Sounds like a win-win.
Every year, California dairy farms emit hundreds of thousands of tons of the potent greenhouse…
Highway 7 runs north-south through western Washington, carving its way through a landscape sparsely dotted…
One of the greatest pleasures I had as a child growing up in the Chicago…
Undocumented immigrants experience food insecurity at much higher rates than other populations, yet they are…
Writer Charlotte Druckman and editor Rebecca Flint Marx are both Jewish journalists living in New…
Last fall, first-year law student Karissa Kang arrived at Yale University and quickly set out…