New York Agrivoltaic Research Shows Fall-Crop Yield Loss under Solar Panels

Research led by Cornell University found that fall-planted crops of radishes and radicchio had reduced yield under solar panels. Although crops planted under solar panels sometimes perform better because of the shading, researchers found that the extent of the shading in the shorter days of fall in New York’s northern climate was enough to reduce yields for these crops. The research team is going on to test the effect of solar shading on spring crops of strawberries, raspberries, winter wheat, soybeans, zucchini, peppers, chard and dry beans, with promising early results. Researchers say that this testing could help agrivoltaic operations plan ahead to avoid yield drop by starting planting earlier or arranging solar panels perpendicular to the sun, to reduce shading. “We’re trying to grow a slew of these crops to see which ones have potential, so that we can provide data, science-based information to policymakers and to farmers who may be thinking of getting involved,” explained professor Toni DiTommaso.
Related NCAT publication: Best Practices in AgriSolar