Solar filters emit a red light over tomato plants growing in a research field at UC Davis in 2022. The work further tests the findings of a UC Davis study showing plants in agrivoltaic systems respond best to the red spectrum of light while blue light is better used for energy production.
Andre Daccache/UC Davis)
Different Light Spectra Serve Different Needs for Agrivoltaics
People are increasingly trying to grow both food and clean energy on the same land to help meet the challenges of climate change, drought and a growing global population that just topped 8 billion. This effort includes agrivoltaics, in which crops are grown under the shade of solar panels, ideally with less water.
Now scientists from the University of California, Davis, are investigating how to better harvest the sun — and its optimal light spectrum — to make agrivoltaic systems more efficient in arid agricultural regions like California.
Their study, published in Earth’s Future, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, found that the red part of the light spectrum is more efficient for growing plants, while the blue part of the spectrum is better used for solar production.
A door opener
The study’s results could help guide global interest in agrivoltaics and identify potential applications for those systems.
“This paper is a door opener for all sorts of technological advancements,” said corresponding author Majdi Abou Najm, an associate professor at the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources and a fellow at the UC Davis Institute of the Environment. He conducted the study with first author Matteo Camporese of the University of Padova in Italy, who came to UC Davis as a Fulbright visiting scholar. “Today’s solar panels take all the light and try to make the best of it. But what if a new generation of photovoltaics could take the blue light for clean energy and pass the red light onto the crops, where it is most efficient for photosynthesis?”
For the study, the scientists developed a photosynthesis and transpiration model to account for different light spectra. The model reproduced the response of various plants, including lettuce, basil and strawberry, to different light spectra in controlled lab conditions. A sensitivity analysis suggested the blue part of the spectrum is best filtered out to produce solar energy while the red spectrum can be optimized to grow food.
This work was further tested this past summer on tomato plants at UC Davis agricultural research fields in collaboration with UC Davis Assistant Professor Andre Daccache from the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
Guiding light
In an era of shrinking viable land, understanding how plants respond to different light spectra is a key step toward designing systems that balance sustainable land management with water use and food production, the study noted.
“We cannot feed 2 billion more people in 30 years by being just a little more water-efficient and continuing as we do,” Abou Najm said. “We need something transformative, not incremental. If we treat the sun as a resource, we can work with shade and generate electricity while producing crops underneath. Kilowatt hours become a secondary crop you can harvest.”
Original Article: Harvesting Light to Grow Food and Clean Energy Together
More from: University of California Davis | University of Padova
The Latest Updates from Bing News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Agrivoltaics
- Agrivoltaics for berries
Scientists in the Netherlands conducted meta-analysis on the growth of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants under different levels of shade generated by elevated agrivoltaic ...
- Ohio clears way for biggest agrivoltaic farm in US
Following months of controversy, the Ohio Power Siting Board has given the go-ahead for construction to begin next year on the largest agrivoltaic solar farm in the United States. Agrivoltaics is the ...
- Silicon Ranch Unveils New Lambing Barn at Houston Solar and Celebrates Growth of Company-Owned Sheep Flock
The Houston Lambing Barn, at Silicon Ranch's Houston Solar Project, is a first-of-its-kind facility to be built, owned, and operated by a solar company. Nashville-based Silicon Ranch is investing to ...
- Community-scale Agrivoltaics powering rural development through renewable energy
Agrivoltaics can provide reliable and cheaper electricity to rural areas. It is a sustainable technology that uses land for both solar power generation and food production, making it particularly ...
- New Jersey farm studies agrivoltaics with vertically mounted solar
Rutgers reports that the vertical system fits well with the aim of the project, which is to study the benefits of agrivoltaics where there is a large energy demand and limited space.
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Agrivoltaic systems
- Best Medical Alert Systems Of 2024
Our top medical alert systems are relatively affordable, with many hovering around $45 per month. Medical alert systems can provide peace of mind and come in a variety of options, from wearable ...
- Agrivoltaics for berries
Scientists in the Netherlands conducted meta-analysis on the growth of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants under different levels of shade generated by elevated agrivoltaic ...
- Best Medical Alert Systems Of 2024
Medical alert systems connect users to a dispatcher who can send for assistance in the event of a medical emergency. Some systems are designed for in-home use while others offer security on the go ...
- Ohio clears way for biggest agrivoltaic farm in US
Following months of controversy, the Ohio Power Siting Board has given the go-ahead for construction to begin next year on the largest agrivoltaic solar farm in the United States. Agrivoltaics is the ...
- The Best Well Water Filtration Systems for a Cleaner Supply
Choosing a better well water filtration system for clean drinking water doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s easier when you know which contaminants are in your water, as different filtration ...