Could growing crops under solar panels provide food and energy at the same time?

Source: Bev Betkowski| · UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA · | May 9, 2023

Researchers are assessing the potential of agrivoltaics to help tackle two sustainability challenges.

Source: Researchers Guillermo Hernandez Ramirez (right) and Camila Quiroz examine spinach plants growing under different solar panels as part of their pilot project assessing the potential benefits of agrivoltaics. (Photo: Supplied)

Imagine growing greens in your back yard under a solar panel, and then juicing them in a blender powered by the same energy. A new University of Alberta project is working to make that a reality.

By growing spinach under different solar panels, two U of A researchers are measuring how the process affects both plant growth and the electrical output of the panels.

Known as agrivoltaics, the fairly new sustainable practice integrates solar panels with crops, making simultaneous use of land for both food and energy production.

Agrivoltaics has the potential to address several pressing issues around sustainability, says Guillermo Hernandez Ramirez, an associate professor and soil scientist in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.

“It brings together major challenges we have ahead of us: the energy transition to renewable energy sources and the questions of feeding the world and addressing issues of climate action,” he says.

Agrivoltaics has other benefits besides dual land use and food security; it could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make more efficient use of water.

And it’s scalable to serve both rural and especially urban agriculture, by making use of back yards and city green spaces to grow food and generate electricity, he notes.

That in turn helps people see sustainability as a way of life, Hernandez Ramirez believes.

“It brings this idea of connection. By having agrivoltaics in urban settings, people can experience what it’s like to be able to produce both food and electricity.”