Agrivoltaics: Solar Panels Bring Life to Struggling Farms | NowThis
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2020
- These solar panels are breathing new life into farms struggling amid trade wars, high commodity prices, and the climate crisis.
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This is the most positive news story I’ve seen in months 🙂
@Robert Loewe well it could have been a blessing if china and the usa done a better job.
@Robbierobot574 There's a lot of truth to this. One of the things that happened as the pandemic began was there was a sharp drop in electricity demand. Since you save more money shutting down a coal power plant than shutting off solar panels, a lot of fossil fuel sources were shut down temporarily, and some of them forever.
You obviously haven't watched Planet of the Humans that is why you buy into this propaganda.
Until....you stop and think of the logistical obstacles of this on a large scale.
@@recruit8921 Uh, go look into China.
They hit all their targets, early, and made new, stronger commitments to Climate change fighting.
Green energy and technology is the present and future. We need to embrace it more to have a sustainable future for our energy needs.
@Goorpijp Wessel Chernobyl, Sellafield, Fukushima
@@cuongtruong6043 Better yet, CLIMATE CHANGE. You understand there's more than just Uranium, right? Search up Thorium.
@Goorpijp Wessel Few more than what I listed. Market forces will dictate. Mine and your opinion account for nothing.
@Goorpijp Wessel Yeah, you're right, you did state facts. But it doesn't make a difference to what the rest of the world does re: energy source.
@@cuongtruong6043 Please research Thorium reactors. Main reason we don't have them is the same reason electric cars were subdued for so long.
Profit.
EVERY Farmer needs to see this!!!
I like that now this does this stuff every once in awhile
My brain is melting reading that... What are you talking about? And why did 64 people like that comment without questioning lol
bro please what on earth do you mean
@@shamicentertainment1262"now this" is the name of the channel.
@@MickenCZProfi haha ok that makes sense, i didn't even notice the name of the channel
This is amazing! We have to advance solar technology as much as possible!
Renewable energy in general
One big problem with Photovoltaics is that they use lithium which is rare and expensive. Lithium is also poisonous and if not used carefully can damage the environment. There is also the manufacturing, transportation and installation of solar panels which takes a lot of time and money.
@@TheLiamster That environmental damage amortizes pretty quickly when compared the environmental damage of to more traditional generation methods. PV is way less damaging and destructive than hydroelectric.
@@TheLiamster there's no lithium in crystalline silicon solar panels. It's a major component of battery storage systems though.
@@TheLiamster I see that you are working hard to discredit renewable energy. Repeatedly copying and pasting the same remark in comments section. Are you paid by the fossil fuel industry?
This is why I love solar technology
@Goorpijp Wessel You should learn that even if it's made with materials from the environment, It's still improvement from dirty coal plants ;)
I wonder what the life of the panel is. Hopefully Technology will find ways to recycle the components & make them more ecofriendly. We have to stop with carbon producing energy. We also need more research into improving nuclear power production.
@Goorpijp Wessel Life cycle impact in grams of CO2e per kwh for solar is 1/20th of coal's (50 vs 1001). Wind and nuclear are 1/100th, with nuclear winning out (11 and 9, respectively). So yes, loving either of those technologies is much better than fossil fuels, I don't see the problem with OP's statement.
@@peforster6725 'No' to nuclear. Too deadly and its waste hangs around forever. Bad idea.
One big problem with Photovoltaics is that they use lithium which is rare and expensive. Lithium is also poisonous and if not used carefully can damage the environment. There is also the manufacturing, transportation and installation of solar panels which takes a lot of time and money.
We need to move back to these small farms spread throughout communities and growing local produce. It will cut down on transportation costs and many other costs. We have to move away from agribusiness now. These huge conglomerates are destroying our world for a huge profit for a small group.
Agree with that 100%.
"Scientists say that the climate crisis will bring on more extreme weather in the future".... has anyone looked out the window?? We're already there
@Crow Dog You mistake weather for climate. Climate change doesn't mean you won't still get nice weather from time to time - but it increases the probability of more extreme weather happening more often. Notice I didn't say it *causes* extreme weather - it *increases the probability.* Events that would typically have only happened once in a century are now happening nearly every year. We are breaking records for hottest and coldest days across the planet, because as the planet's atmosphere warms, the system has more energy to release in the form of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts.
Fact is, you might be having a nice sunny day on the veranda, but that doesn't mean there ain't historic wildfires burning in California (there are) or that the Great Barrier Reef isn't bleaching to death (it is).
@@cinderball1135 you're wasting your time. This one is either an intellectual child (poorly educated) or is subject to a personality disorder (narcissism, sociopathy), possibly both. Either way they appear to be incapable of critical thinking or empathy. It's these folks that are actually the source of most of our problems (including climate change). They're not evil, but they are dangerous.
Don't attempt to educate them. We don't have the time or resources. We just need to go through them.
@@2020_Visi0n I'm not planning to. When I write out an educative explanation like above, I'm doing it for the benefit of whomsoever else might be reading the thread, so they can see the holes in the faulty argument from the climate skeptic. I'm under no illusions of being able to change the mind of the person I'm talking to, considering how they'll put anecdotal personal observations and opinions ahead of rafts of scientific evidence. :)
@Crow Dog Anecdotal evidence is a fallacy.
@@cinderball1135 I understand. However most people with a functioning brain could see the holes in that argument. Generally, we waste _far_ too much energy engaging with these individuals. Its better spent elsewhere. They WANT your attention, be it praise or protest. Don't get distracted. That's the trick
This is a big win for green energy and progress. Struggling conservative farmers will come to appreciate green energy, even if only for the financial support it brings them. Goodbye fracking, strip mining, smog. Hello sunshine!
They could build a massive building also with solar panels on top and grow plants, different plants in doors with LED lights. This isn't a food type plant but I've been growing succulents and cacti using a 45 w full spectrum light that has been going for years now. LED lights last for years.
You will still need oil for centuries until.we have better economical storage and better nuclear options.
One big problem with Photovoltaics is that they use lithium which is rare and expensive. Lithium is also poisonous and if not used carefully can damage the environment. There is also the manufacturing, transportation and installation of solar panels which takes a lot of time and money.
What about water supply? Word has it groundwater resources are getting depleted. 😕
@@TheLiamster sound like jobs to me.
Imagine if every small farmer had subsidized solar panels on their prop if it is effective so they can get xxxtra income baby
Better idea: Semi-portable solar arrays. Farmers can use them over top of fallow fields so those fields are still making money while fallowed. When it's time to plant that field, farmers can just move the array.
Flippin Flitz
I could not agree more, and it would be government money well spent.
@@DAndyLord Unfortunately, it can't really be done because of how panels work. If the panels are wired in parallel, you'll have high voltage wires running on the ground. If they're wired in series, shading a single panel will kill the output of the entire row. Glass panels are far too fragile. You could get a giant roll of printed panels, but they would break in no time. One stray cow would easily destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars of panels.
But even if you could somehow solve for all those problems, you still don't have storage. Without storage, you'd be forced to sell the power back to the grid when it's generated, and during the daytime, you'd looking at a return of about 2-3c/kwh. While the average cost to use that same kwh would be about 17c.
Solar farming is a viable business, it just makes no sense to do it over precious farmland. You'd build it on some cheap land that's not farmable, preferably because it's too sunny and dry to farm there.
There is no need to subsidise. Solar panels are really cheap now and are economic from the get go.
@@eugenes9751 I'd suggested putting the arrays over fallow fields. That way the farmer is making money even when she's not planting there.
The other problems do seem larger than I'd anticipated.
Agrivoltaics sounds like a Power Ranger villain though.
Still an awesome practice. Hoping also that Solar Panels will be much more available and affordable for the masses.
AS WE SPEAK Solar Panels are VERY cheap to the masses!! The price has been sliced by 50% in 2.5 years!
We need Captian Planet!
This should be in every back yard in az & California
My az. friends biggest complaint is they can't grow anything and high energy bills!
Tell your AZ friend to get a solar PV system installed on his roof. A 5 kW system for less than $15 thousand.
Acme Fixer $15k is still double the cost the same set up would be here in the U.K., and that's without any subsidy. I don't understand why solar remains so expensive in the US?!
This looks to be especially helpful in semi-arid climates and coastal deserts.
It's an amazing technology. In Germany we research it as well. The panel efficiency can even increase due to the evaporation cooling of the plants leafs underneath.
Swiss company Insolight has record 30% efficient agrivoltaic cells which are even translucent.
The future is amazing :-)
Img I watched Farmer Derek go to your Huge show and the developments you have made are so amazing! Thank you Farmers for being so innovative!! You Rock!
Unfortunately with the environmental record of the present American administration, support for this kind of technology comes from other sources. Danke Deutschland.
So awesome and such an obvious solution frankly when you when you drive by fields of solar panels. Raise them higher and grow alfalfa for hay, basil, so many ideas. Convert parking lots into shaded lots so that the cars don't overheat and it's not just an asphalt jungle but renewable solar energy.
At Michigan State University they turned a parking lot into a covered lot with solar panels. It keeps the students cars cooler on sunny days and provides clean energy to the university buildings.
Edited to add: it also keeps a lot of snow off of the cars in the winter too.
Your two examples are totally different. Covering parking lots is a great idea, because it gives shade to cars and provide benefits all round. Growing crops in the shade is a totally different story. It reduces yield and quality, and is an all round BAD idea. Fruiting crops need lots and LOTS of sun. The more the better. I cannot see how this "solution" will work. The farmer either farms with crops or electricity on the same patch of land. Otherwise crop yields will be dismal.
@@barriegordon1108 watch the video. The farmers grow leafy greens in the shade of the solar panels because the leaves grow bigger in partial shade...ya know bigger leaves of spinach and lettuce are good.
@@barriegordon1108 Some plants do well with some shade, rather than a full 12 hours of sun in the summer heat. It's not 100% shade under the canopy necessarily either. You've got 🌞 from east and west, and some overhead 🌞@ highnoon in the gap between Rows. In the mid-Atlantic area we have native pau pau fruit trees that like shade. Could be permaculture rather than annual crops? Lots of possibilities for the imagination still.
There should be a federal grant to invest this into every farm.
No need for grants. They're already getting paid twice.
@@gr8bkset-524 well maybe an investment loan
I don't think they came up with the investment themselves.
"Every farm"...that only grows low light crops, harvested by hand, without any kind of tractor, on small acreage.
FINALLY!!! SOMEONE ELSE REALIZED IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO COMBINED SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS AND FARMING IN THIS WAY!!!
And they made a RUclips video of it. Nice.
THANK YOU!!!
What i found really interesting was what "white oak pastures" is doing grazing animals like sheep and broiler chickens under solar panels. Storing carbon in the ground through holistic management and lowering the cost of the solar farm operator.(no weed whacking or mowing)
Very impressive technology and climate change has much to do with news ways of farming. Even my garden did not grow this well at all this year. Excellent ideas
This is such a simple, yet amazing idea! I wonder how many other jurisdictions would allow farmers to partake in agrivoltaics by proactively changing bylaws, etc.
It seems like if the solar panels are spaced far enough apart, it almost might not affect the crops at all!
Love it! Also the crops evaporates water which lowers the temperature locally, so it's also good for the solar panels since they work better in lower temperatures. Win win!
I think the towers for the panels should be a bit taller. You want the shadows to move rapidly over the plants so they don't see too much temperature rise during the day. In hot places, plants actually shut off photosynthesis during the hottest part of the day to protect themselves. This is mostly to keep water in but other things are at work.
I have found that some types of tomatoes don't mind a bit of shade. Most of what humans grow as crops are selected for full sun. The plant breeders need to get busy and make plants for shade.
BTW: The pawpaw and some other members of the custard apple family are understory adapted and taste a lot like banana. Because of other news, it is looking like bananas may be harder to get in the future. pawpaws don't ship well. This is another place for the plant breeder perhaps but also a great thing for "market garden" style production. Seasonal fruit to a city 50 miles away can bring a good price.
A cool idea takes root! An old plant physiology Prof who did some of the early work in understanding photosynthesis told me that photosynthesis actually shuts down during the most intense sun light hours of the day, so growing gardens with partial shade makes sense from a maximum utilization perspective, plus closer to the places of power usage right by the cities, the ideal location and the right mixing of fields. From shade grown coffee to shade grown beans!
Great to see how things are coming along. It’ll be interesting to see how they tackle the whole ‘how to sow and harvest crops under solar panels’ issue for crops that use massive machines but then again some crops might suit this set up more than others given they don’t seem to be focusing on grain crops.
awesome! it's so nice to see something hopeful every once in awhile!
Stopped by Jack's just yesterday. Jazzed about progress, momentum. Very proud of Byron and his dedication, tenacity.
Props to this guy! Good work! I love that he’s also trying to give back to the community!
I think it's actually sell back to the local community - they pay him for the energy he generates...but I agree with your sentiment.
I understand the water plants emit through transpiration helps keep the solar panels cooler and performing more efficiently.
This is a method all farms should use.
Hydro and aquaponics as well.
What if you planted trees also? They store water in the ground next to them and provide shade.
Hi! I currently work at Biosphere 2 at the AV gardens. While you don’t see any trees under these panels we have sister sites across Tucson where the solar panels are angled and at their highest point reach about 20 feet in the air. Under these panels we have planted fruit trees which don’t like the Arizonan heat but are doing fine so far! :)
The trees do also use a lot of water though, but it's a interesting idea
Even if you don’t believe in global warming, I have something to say to you; oil won’t last forever and the sooner we get off it, the better off we’ll be.
Thank God for sub titles.... No Sound Nothing...... Silence But simple to follow, good film crew.
Yeah Very smart idea shading the plants from the stress of midday heat, great design can't wait till see plants in full production.
In Europe, we use more huge windmills in farms. They take very little room and can yield power 3MW or more per windmill. I believe the great thing here is the shadow effect. You could also have sheeps with solar-PV’s
The most advanced science is in Agro-Tech...Thank you FARMERS...WE LOVE YOU!!
Just awesome. This could literally help change the world. Good luck! 🙏
This appears to be a really good idea for the USA rural areas to utilize. Thanks of this information
One of the other things that this does is keep the solar panels cool helping them to work more efficiently 🤠🌵
Thank you for this video! 😀💐
Thank you!
News like this bring me new hope in life..
Good luck! I hope it takes off and creates a whole new sustainable industry!
So impressed that Kominek changed to local codes to allow this - awesome 😎
People need to watch and start doing this!
Thanks algorithms I liked this one!
I'm so down for this!
Those panels are not even connected. The panel wires are still coiled and separate under each panel 3:55
Great story! Keep up the coverage of these stories
I am freaking out with love right now!!!
Cool! Ice been talking about doing something under solar panels for years to use that space and increase the square foot productivity, but didn't have the resources to look into it much further. Looks like you have a good solution there!
Now that’s innovation!
2:30 bigger leaf this year makes for more compost next year, so even more soil moisture.
muy bien por su estudio
Phenomenal job!
oH my GOD! This could really be a game changer. What a great IDEA. TWO products from the same land. I LOVE IT!
LOVEEE this!!!! 🤩
Love this.
I love it!! Great idea!
Great video. Kudos to the fellow that got the stupid code changed.
A couple of minor criticisms:
1) The idea that plants need rain/irrigation more than once a week is oversimplified. It depends on the growth stages of the plant, the soil type, the depth of the previous rain event, etc.
2) You don't mention energy storage. For instance, pumped hydro would be a great solution, if only there were some hills somewhere in Colorado. Oh well.
Beautiful ✨
Very interesting concept
Brilliant well done 👍
3:16 Amazing
This is pretty cool, thanks for sharing!
I live off grid in Canada. I have a woodshed roof that I shingled solar panels on top. All the rainwater from the roof is what I water my garden with. There is a lot of water available all the time now! Power too! and since I bought used panels, they cost less then the tin for the roof would have! Big old lead acid batteries power my life day and night with that array. It is very very cost effective to save the environment it turns out!
This is a very innovative idea!
Great!
I so wanted to like this more than once.
It appears youtube counts your commenting as an interaction and favors the video based on that.
just wonder if using the panels surface also to collect rain over a system of gutters could also help to keep a bit more of the short abundant rainfalls in summer (dont knwo the climate of that region?) to irrigate the following days ? I mean it does not need to be all watertight and perfect, but the other way round I could imagine the rain pouring down just over the edge of the panel very locally is not ideal for the crops either ?
Great idea!
Yes exactly. Don’t forget dew condensation. Plants or weeds will preferentially grow along the drip-line, or wherever the irrigation is.
Great start
I remember watching NHK when the japanese where the first to have done this type of agriculture
Also to put this into perspective:
With one hectare of land you can grow enough plants to create enough bio fuel to drive 75k km a year.
Put solar on the same land and use an EV and you can drive 10 million km.
Excellent
I'd love to see an update
2:19 dramatic leaf size difference!
Great news. And we need to support farmers (all over the world), they are *literally* the life line of our civilization.
Can't get greener then that 😊
This is such promising news!
Thanks for showing your agrivoltaic setup. Current payback for PV on rooftops is 7 to 10 years which is not an attractive investment but maybe agrivoltaics can bring it down to 3 to 4 years by increasing crop yields and improving PV efficiency due to the cooling effect of the plants beneath. Some details along those lines from you would be much appreciated.
Probably can't do traditional machine harvesting under PV solar.
But manual harvesting is probably a great deal less taxing in the shade.
Good on you, mate
It turns out that combining agriculture and solar panels is more complex than it first looks, but the resulting benefits are also more than you might have thought.
@Ronals Garrison, I agree, but with most problems we need complex solutions.
The panels would also be a perfect rain catch system. Put some gutters at the bottom of each row, run them to rain barrel stacks that are used to water the crops below. The spacing between panel rows would still be plenty to allow rain to fall to the ground but you could also bank water for the dry times and save resources. Yeah, there's laws regarding the catching of rain water and those need to be dealt with but it seems workable.
1:59 Can someone please tell me what is that done on plant?
Cool concept I am interested to see people like this who are thinking out of the box to incorporate renewable energy sources into their business and see what works
Doing stuff like this and roofs with good sun, putting solar farms over the highway is a good next step, it would somewhat shelter the road, in some areas it may need something to keep the snow off, and dust in desert areas, a similar structure over the highway in areas that need more power, we can stop burning coal and other fisdil fuels, awesome video, I'd like to see more!
@1:58 What is this device they're testing the leaves with?
Great initiative, thanks a lot for sharing! Let's hope many others will follow. And let's hope we can stop climate change soon. I have a PV installed on my roof as well. However, there are so many who do not seem to care, or are waiting for others to solve the problem. In case anybody would have an idea about how to motivate them, just let us know ;)
Does the array allow space for a tractor? What are the hazards of mixing PV cells and Argo chemicals? These are serious design issues, as I note they didn’t even have an ATV under the panels let alone a John Deere.
so how much will it cost to setup such solar panels structure over 20 acres ( 100,000 sqr yards ) and its roi ?
how does the feasibility work ?
Great and interesting, I dreamed of doing in our land if I can get capital
There is a type of solar panel which pulls moisture out of air. The SOURCE hydropanel can potentially create water for agriculture, though I suspect it would be far too expensive for such a setting.
It’s great to see the technology change and green energy the future of our economy is ready for the future and we got more opportunities than ever to bring Geo when energy thermal plans around the world and solar is one of the biggest priorities in the world stage today on energy development projects today I look forward to seeing more across the country scene energy projects can tin you to grow stronger than ever that’s the energy for the future North America and around the world today
If the temperatures get too hot, I wonder if they could hook up some fans under the panels and use the free energy to cool down the plants.
Fans don't really cool much. They make us feel cooler because we are a 98.6F and the air is not that hot. A plant doesn't heat its self up like we do.
Excellent! This idea is already being implemented here in Việt Nam.
There has been some research into Solar panels that still allow the red and blue spectrum of light through. I have thought that these would be great for greenhouse or crop coverage areas to allow both plants and energy capture to occur.
How do we get info on starting this type of hybrid farm in Fresno, CA
But.... Why solar panels? I mean it is great to be producing electricity but wouldn't it be cheaper just to put some shaders?
I think it has something to do with the combination of them both. I think it is more profitable to have a solar panal and plants rather than only focusing in the plants, by having Just a plate covering the farm
The solar panels yield electricity he can sell for income, to supplement his business.
@@cinderball1135 yes of course but if the farmers are struggling money wise they don't have the cash to make that initial investment.... That's why I was wondering why not just shaders
Climate change can reduce the amount of available water in his area. The solar panels help stop that from happening through renewable energy
They can make profit from the solar panels by selling some of the energy to the grid
My only worry is the clearance seems low for crops that may use a small tractor/buggy for harvesting crops like tomatoes etc or future Currently experimental) robotics to do the weeding that comply with future pesticides rules
Awesome, every farmer should have this as at least a possibility. Its smart, helps food production, makes clean renewable energy and provides a decent income for the farmer... heck with sheep, goats and pigs you could rear them under shade as well..... I cant see a downside.
this is so cool aaaaaaaaah!!!!
Check out Source Hydropanels, you could do agrivoltaics with them to and make water!