OSU study: Solar panels on ag lands boost efficiency

OSU study: Solar panels on ag lands boost efficiency

KTVZ.COM
Staff

The most productive places on Earth for solar power are farmlands, according to an Oregon State University study.  The study, published Wednesday in the journal Scientific Reports, finds that if less than 1% of agricultural land was converted to solar panels, it would be sufficient to fulfill global electric energy demand. The concept of co-developing the same area of land for both solar photovoltaic power and conventional agriculture is known as agrivoltaics..."We found that when it's cool outside the efficiency gets better," Higgins said. "If it's hot the efficiency gets worse. When it is dead calm the efficiency is worse, but some wind makes it better. As the conditions became more humid, the panels did worse. Solar panels are just like people and the weather, they are happier when it's cool and breezy and dry." 

WOODS NOTE:  It has been a few years, but we explored the use of corners on circles for solar panels and generation.  Excel engineers at the time said they want more panels in one place instead of each coroner.   Maybe it time to reexamine the possibilities.