A series of studies by Cornell researchers is testing how crops might grow when planted between rows of solar panels on a solar farm in New York state.
A series of studies by Cornell researchers is testing how crops might grow when planted between rows of solar panels on a solar farm in New York state.
By acquiring real data, researchers may provide farmers and policymakers with important information, as growing crops between rows of solar panels to maximize dual land use will be increasingly critical, especially since New York’s utility-scale solar farms cover roughly 9,300 acres of land.
In the first of a series of studies, published July 29 in the journal Environmental Research Food Systems, Cornell researchers tested a 2024 fall crop of radishes and radicchio grown between rows of solar panels, which yielded useful findings on the limitations of a fall planting. This year, the team of researchers is continuing experiments by planting strawberries, raspberries, winter wheat, soybeans, zucchini, peppers, chard and dry beans, starting in the spring, with promising early results.
“New York has an extremely strong agricultural legacy, and solar development on repurposed agricultural crop lands is going to have to meet farmers where they’re at,” said Matt Sturchio, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).
Read More: Cornell University
Image: An infrared gas analyzer assesses photosynthetic light response in radish plants grown on a solar farm near Albany, New York. (Credit: Matt Sturchio/Provided via Cornell University)
