Arizona farmers use solar panels to shade crops, improve sustainability
Arizona farmers use solar panels to shade crops, improve sustainability
The Arizona sun is too strong for many crops. So farmers are turning to solar panels to provide shade and generate energy.
For 31 straight days last summer, temperatures in Phoenix hit or topped 110 degrees, the longest such streak ever. That searing Arizona heat dehydrates crops and evaporates water the state needs to conserve.
Creating shade is one way to combat the problem.
By using solar panels, farmers can simultaneously protect their plants, save water and lower their energy bills – and some are doing just that with help from federal programs designed to encourage this sustainable method of growing.
Photovoltaic panels are placed above the crops, harnessing the sun’s energy while providing valuable shade.
Now put grow lights on the back and close the loop
Put grow lights on top: Infinite energy
Almost as good an idea as attaching buttered bread to the back of a cat and dropping the cat from a height.