Solar Panels Aid Heat-Sensitive Crops: Colorado farmer put 3,276 solar panels

Rep ese tative
Image
of
sola
pa els
a d
th ivi g
c ops
g owi g
togethe
o
the
same
fa mla d
(AI-ge e ated
image)

A
family
fa m
i
Lo gmo t,
Colo ado
has
tu ed
pa t
of
its
la d
i to
a
wo ki g
example
of
how
sola
powe
a d
ag icultu e
ca
sha e
the
same
g ou d.
By o
Komi ek,
ow e
of
Jack’s
Sola
Ga de ,
cove ed
oughly
five
ac es
of
his
family’s
24-ac e
p ope ty
with
3,276
sola
pa els,
mou ted
high
e ough
to
allow
c ops
to
keep
g owi g
u de eath.
The
pa els
ge e ate
a ou d
2
gigawatt-hou s
of
elect icity
a
yea ,
which
Komi ek
sells
to
a
ea by
utility
fo
ext a
i come
as
fa me s
ac oss
the
egio
deal
with
isi g
powe
costs,
pe siste t
d ought
a d
i c easi gly
hot
g owi g
seaso s.
What
makes
the
p oject
u usual
is
that
the
pa els
a e
ot
simply
ge e ati g
powe
ove
empty
la d.
The
shade
they
cast
is
helpi g
heat-se sitive
c ops
su vive
co ditio s
that
would
othe wise
damage
them.

Why
this
Colo ado
fa m
decided
to
combi e
sola
pa els
with
c ops

Komi ek’s
fa m
sits
at
the
ce t e
of
what
has
become
the
la gest
comme cial
ag ivoltaics
esea ch
site
i
the
U ited
States,
a
te m
used
to
desc ibe
fa mla d
that
p oduces
both
c ops
a d
sola
elect icity
o
the
same
plot.
The
p oject
b ought
togethe
esea che s
f om
the
Natio al
Re ewable
E e gy
Labo ato y,
Colo ado
State
U ive sity
a d
the
U ive sity
of
A izo a,
who
use
the
site
to
study
the
mic oclimates
c eated
u de eath
sola
pa els
a d
how
those
co ditio s
affect
pla t
g owth.

Acco di g
to
the
Natio al
Re ewable
E e gy
Labo ato y’s
ow
accou t
of
the
p oject,
the
site
offe s
the
most
comp ehe sive
ag ivoltaics
esea ch
setup
i
the
cou t y
while
also
delive i g
food
access
a d
educatio al
be efits
to
the
su ou di g
commu ity.

How
sola
pa els
c eate
coole
mic oclimates
fo
c ops

The
pa els
at
Jack’s
Sola
Ga de
a e
mou ted
o
a
si gle
axis
t acki g
system,
mea i g
they
shift
positio
th ough
the
day
to
follow
the
su .
As
they
move,
the
shadow
be eath
them
shifts
too,
a d
ai wate
collects
alo g
each
pa el’s
lowe
edge,
b eaki g
up
what
was
o ce
a
u ifo mly
su y,
d y
field
i to
a
patchwo k
of
diffe e t
g owi g
co ditio s.
Befo e
the
sola
a ay
was
i stalled,
eve y
pa t
of
the
field
eceived
oughly
the
same
amou t
of
su light
a d
moistu e.
Now,
some
patches
stay
coole
a d
slightly
dampe
tha
othe s,
givi g
fa me s
mo e
flexibility
i
what
they
ca
g ow
a d
whe e.

Which
c ops
a e
be efiti g
most
f om
the
shade

Amo g
the
pla ts
th ivi g
u de
the
pa els
a e
flax,
which
ge mi ates
best
at
a ou d
65
to
70
deg ees
Fah e heit,
a d
cla y
sage,
which
te ds
to
wilt
o ce
tempe atu es
climb
past
95
deg ees.
Both
c ops
st uggle
i
di ect,
u shaded
heat
du i g
Colo ado’s
peak
summe
mo ths,
but
the
pa tial
shade
cast
by
the
sola
a ay
keeps
co ditio s
close
to
what
these
pla ts
eed
to
th ive.
C op
cultivatio
o
the
site
is
led
by
Sp out
City
Fa ms,
which
g ows
p oduce
be eath
the
pa els
i
pa t e ship
with
the
esea ch
teams
studyi g
the
p oject,
while
Audubo
Rockies
has
pla ted
mo e
tha
3,000
ative
pe e ials
a ou d
the
a ay’s
pe imete
to
suppo t
polli ato s.

What
the
esea ch
says
about
combi i g
fa mi g
a d
sola
powe

A
pee – eviewed
case
study
o
the
p oject,
titled

Developi g
C op-Based
Ag ivoltaic
Systems:
A
Case
Study
of
Jack’s
Sola
Ga de
a d
published
i
the
Jou al
of
Ag icultu e,
Food
Systems,
a d
Commu ity
Developme t,
exami ed
why
a
fa me
might
choose
to
build
a
c op-based
ag ivoltaic
system
a d
what
challe ges
come
with
developi g
a d
mai tai i g
o e.
The
esea che s
fou d
that
combi i g
c ops
with
sola
pa els
ca
se ve
as
a
wo kable
comp omise
betwee
fa me s
a d
local
gove me ts,
while
also
delive i g
a
wide
set
of
be efits
to
the
su ou di g
food
system.
The
study
placed
pa ticula
emphasis
o
the
ole
of
public-p ivate
pa t e ships
i
maki g
p ojects
like
this
succeed,
alo g
with
lesso s
that
could
guide
othe
fa me s
co side i g
simila
systems.

Why
this
model
could
matte
fo
fa ms
elsewhe e

The
pa els
at
Jack’s
Sola
Ga de
a e
mou ted
at
heights
of
oughly
six
a d
eight
feet,
leavi g
e ough
clea a ce
u de eath
fo
people,
vegetatio
a d
eve yday
fa m
activity
to
co ti ue
elatively
u distu bed.
Colo ado
State
U ive sity
esea che s,
i cludi g
docto al
stude t
Matthew
Stu chio,
have
used
the
site
to
study
how
sola
shadi g
affects
ot
just
i dividual
c ops
but
b oade
ecosystem
fu ctio s,
f om
soil
health
to
pastu e
g ass
to
i sect
activity
be eath
the
pa els.
As
d ought
a d
isi g
tempe atu es
co ti ue
to
squeeze
fa m
output
ac oss
the
Ame ica
West,
p ojects
like
this
o e
suggest
that
sola
pa els
do
ot
have
to
compete
with
ag icultu e
fo
la d.
I stead,
fa ms
may
be
able
to
use
the
same
ac e
to
do
two
jobs
at
o ce,
p oduci g
food
that
is
mo e
esilie t
to
heat
while
also
ge e ati g
clea
elect icity
a d
a
steady
st eam
of
i come
fo
the
people
u i g
the
la d.

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