Solar Agriculture, sometimes known as agrophotovoltaics,
describes the use of land for both alternate (low-carbon) electricity generation and
agriculture.
In some parts of Europe, 2% of agricultural
land is allocated to the installation of solar photovoltaic panels. Sometimes the panels are raised high enough
to allow access for farm machinery. They are generally mounted in single-axis
rotating arrays.
Research to determine what crops will
maximize the efficiency of this dual use of the land has been ongoing for some
years. It has been found that grapes
adapt well to cultivation under solar panel arrays, in fact they benefit from
the intermittent shade provided during extremely hot days and the partial shelter
on cold nights at the beginning and end of the growing season.
