Photovoltaic panels to plant medicinal herbs for power generation

Can solar photovoltaics be co-located with vegetation?

Co-locating solar photovoltaics with vegetation could provide a sustainable solution to meeting growing food and energy demands. However, studies quantifying multiple co-benefits resulting from maintaining vegetation at utility-scale solar power plants are limited.

Do solar photovoltaic panels promote vegetation recovery?

Liu Y, Zhang R, Huang Z, Cheng Z, López-Vicente M, Ma X, et al. Solar photovoltaic panels significantly promote vegetation recovery by modifying the soil surface microhabitats in an arid sandy ecosystem. Land Degrad Dev. 2019;30:2177–86. Lovich JE, Ennen JR. Wildlife Conservation and Solar Energy Development in the Desert Southwest.

Can photovoltaics be used in agriculture?

The incorporation of photovoltaics (PV) into agriculture has drawn significant interest recently to address increased food insecurity and energy demand 1. Agrivoltaics is the utilization of sunlight for both plant production and solar energy harvesting 2, 3.

Can native flora be treated with PV panels?

Native flora was planted in 2018 on the intact soil in a portion of the facility following the construction. To separate the effects of vegetation and PV panels, three treatments were established in the study area.

How do photovoltaic panels affect plant growth and soil moisture content?

The heterogeneity of shade and sunlight distribution in the pasture, as a consequence of the photovoltaic (PV) panels, led to diverse microclimate, which in turn affected plant growth and soil moisture content differently across the region.

How to design a photovoltaic panel for agriculture?

The design must consider crop type, spacing, height, PV panel orientation, and spacing [23, 73]. Coverage rate of PV panels: Huang et al. discuss the difficulties of determining photovoltaic panel coverage for agriculture . Different regions have different crops and environments, and solar panel material affects transparency.