These crops could help support the biofuel industry, new study argues

Apr 10, 2014 07:21 GMT  ·  By

A study published in a recent issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology argues that it is possible for solar farms to serve more than one purpose, i.e. harvest sunlight and produce clean power. Thus, it is argued that, with minimal effort, solar farms can be made to double as crop gardens.

The study in question is authored by researchers working with Stanford University, and the idea that it postulates, i.e. that crops can be grown next to photovoltaic panels, is based on information collected while piecing together and analyzing several computer models.

The Stanford University specialists argue that, according to their investigations into the matter at hand, the crops that should be grown on photovoltaic farms are agave and other plants that have been documented to have the potential to act as biofuel feedstock.

“Co-located solar-biofuel systems could be a novel strategy for generating two forms of energy from uncultivable lands: electricity from solar infrastructure and easily transportable liquid fuel from biofuel cultivation,” explains study lead author Sujith Ravi.

The researchers imagine crops being planted beneath solar panels that make up photovoltaic farms. They say that this location would allow crops to make the most of the runoff water that is produced when the panels are cleaned in order to remove the dust and the dirt that build up on them.

According to the Standford University team, having crops grow beneath photovoltaic panels would also help anchor the soil. Besides, these crops would help reduce the amount of dust that gets kicked up in the air by wind. In doing so, they would help keep the panels clean.

It is argued that, all things considered, such solar farms that double as crop gardens would especially come in handy in regions where water availability is an issue. This is because the design imagined by the Stanford University researchers would make it possible to both harvest sunlight and support the biofuels industry using the same amount of water.

“It could be a win-win situation. Water is already limited in many areas and could be a major constraint in the future. This approach could allow us to produce energy and agriculture with the same water,” specialist Sujith Ravi argues.

The scientists who worked on this research project now wish to test the feasibility of their idea in several regions across the world. The end goal is to determine which crops would thrive if planted on the site of photovoltaic farms, and pin down potential crop yields and economic incentives.