Wheat is harvested from rows equipped with vertical solar panels at the Next2Sun solar park in Germany
Knoblauch GmbH/Next2Sun
Rapid price reductions in solar panels mean they are starting to appear in unexpected places, from balconies to highway embankments. Now, researchers say they can play the role of hedgerows in farm fields, with double-sided solar panels generating energy while acting as windbreaks for crops and livestock.
Farmers are already installing solar panels, often placing tilted arrays over crops letting the sheep graze between the panels. But such installations, known as agrovoltaics, can bring too much shade…
