this post was submitted on 17 May 2026
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[–] ravenaspiring@sh.itjust.works 26 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

It's called Agrovoltaics and it works pretty damn good,if you do it right.

The pairing can also offer some synergies. Solar panels can help moderate ground temperatures, provide shelter for livestock and help plants retain moisture.[6] For farmers the ability to produce electricity can help diversify their income stream.

Solar panels block light, which means that dual use systems involve trade-offs between crop yield, crop quality, and energy production.[7] Some crops/livestock benefit from the increased shade, obviating the trade-off,[8] such as green leafy vegetables, and spices such as turmeric and ginger, whereas staple crops such as wheat, rice, soybeans or pulses require more sun.[9] Agrivoltaics has also been used at scale in arid and semi-arid regions to stabilize soils, reduce dust storm intensity, increase vegetation cover, provide forage for livestock, and curb desertification, notably in northern China.[10][11]

[–] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

The picture in the op doesn't look like agrivoltaics though. Compared to the agrivoltaics examples of the wiki article, the panels in the op are more densely placed, placed flatter, and placed closer to the ground. Nothing is getting harvested there, the most they could do is keep rabbits under them. From what I've seen in person, the non agri kind with panels over monoculture grass fields is much more common than agrivoltaics with cultivated fields.

[–] erev@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

In the US it makes sense. Much of our corn is grown for ethanol so ot can be used for fuel. Replace that with solar and we reduce our reliance on a monocrop and end up with far far more power.

[–] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 1 points 13 minutes ago

They also use lots of irrigation from aquifers in the Great Plains, so they'll need less irrigation and the shading will help a tiny bit with replenishing the aquifer.

In northern Europe these solar fields make no sense at all to me though. When I see something like the fields below in my temperate marine climate, then I can't help but think of the forest that could have been there.