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#solarfarms — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #solarfarms, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Spiritual Society in Jesus Christ @spiritualfruitwithoutreligion.com@spiritualfruitwithoutreligion.com ·

    Kroger’s in Circleville employing robots for inventory control.

    Technology to manage inventory works hand-in-hand with datacenters and related to solar farms.

    spiritualfruitwithoutreligion.

  2. Double harvest: #raspberries and #RenewableEnergy - #FruitLogistica

    Excerpts: "Based on current findings, strawberries do not thrive under #SolarPanels, so this combination of crops does not have a promising future. This was the conclusion of a Wageningen University study on fruit cultivation beneath #photovoltaic systems.

    Strawberries grown beneath solar panels with 25 to 50 per cent light transmission experienced a significant drop in yield – by 25 to 30 per cent.

    The situation was quite different for raspberries, however: under solar panels with 40 per cent light transmission, the harvest yield fell by only five per cent, and the quality of the fruit remained unchanged. At the same time, the panels reduced evaporation and water consumption, protecting the berries from burns and heat peaks.

    The scientists also expect positive effects on #WaterConsumption and protection against #ExtremeWeather conditions.

    [...]

    One clear advantage is that raspberries are currently grown under rain protection films that have to be replaced every five to seven years. This equates to a significant amount of plastic that would no longer be required if solar modules were used instead. And they last at least ten years."

    Full article:
    fruitlogistica.com/en/blog/dou

    #SolarPunkSunday #SolarFarms #Solar #RenewableEnergy #RenewablesNow #Agrosolar #Agrovoltaics #SolarPanelAgriculture #SolarOnFarms #SolarEnergy

  3. #Solar and #RenewableEnergy on #Farms - #UMassAmherst

    Excerpt: "What Works Under Solar Panels

    Sheep and Poultry: #SheepGrazing is well-established at solar sites, they benefit from shade, don't damage equipment, and manage vegetation. #Poultry also do well. Larger animals require reinforced racking; goats and pigs may interfere with wiring.

    #Hay and #Pasture: Shading reduces yields, but shade-tolerant species (#orchardgrass, #WhiteClover) maintain reasonable productivity.

    #Vegetables: #LeafyGreens, #brassicas, and some #herbs tolerate #PartialShade. Sun-loving crops should be planted between panel rows.

    Fruit: Most fruit crops need full sun. Currants and gooseberries are more tolerant. Start small to observe actual impacts." [Raspberries do well in partial sun]."

    Read more:
    umass.edu/agriculture-food-env

    #SolarPunkSunday #SolarEnergy #SolarFarms #SolarPanelAgriculture #SolarOnFarms #Agrosolar #Agrovoltaics

  4. #Solar and #RenewableEnergy on #Farms - #UMassAmherst

    Excerpt: "What Works Under Solar Panels

    Sheep and Poultry: #SheepGrazing is well-established at solar sites, they benefit from shade, don't damage equipment, and manage vegetation. #Poultry also do well. Larger animals require reinforced racking; goats and pigs may interfere with wiring.

    #Hay and #Pasture: Shading reduces yields, but shade-tolerant species (#orchardgrass, #WhiteClover) maintain reasonable productivity.

    #Vegetables: #LeafyGreens, #brassicas, and some #herbs tolerate #PartialShade. Sun-loving crops should be planted between panel rows.

    Fruit: Most fruit crops need full sun. Currants and gooseberries are more tolerant. Start small to observe actual impacts." [Raspberries do well in partial sun]."

    Read more:
    umass.edu/agriculture-food-env

    #SolarPunkSunday #SolarEnergy #SolarFarms #SolarPanelAgriculture #SolarOnFarms #Agrosolar #Agrovoltaics

  5. 'This is our best option:' #Maine farmers turn to #SolarEnergy due to #contaminated fields

    Story by Brad Rogers
    7/25/2024

    ARUNDEL (WGME) – "#PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, have been nothing short of disastrous for hundreds of #Mainefarmers.

    "It's ruined their land, made their cattle, milk and eggs unsafe to eat and left many farmers with serious health problems.

    "'This farm has been in our family since 1914,' #FredStone, whose #Arundel farm was contaminated with PFAS, said.

    "Stone was a third-generation dairy farmer in Arundel until forever chemicals were discovered in his fields, #WellWater, cows and milk.

    "The pollution came from spreading #wastewater #sludge on his farm after the state told him it was safe.

    "#MaineDEP has identified more than 500 sites where sludge was applied to farmland as #fertilizer.

    "In 2017, Stone was the first farmer in the state to have his dairy farm and his pasture shut down due to #PFAScontamination.

    "To make up for it, the state offered to buy his farm, but he refused to walk away.

    "'We’re not in the farm selling or land selling business,' Stone said. 'Given what options we had left, that brought us to the solar thing.'

    "He's been working with #WaldenRenewables to build a solar array on 100 acres of his contaminated farm.

    "'It's their best alternative, but for some of these landowners, it's hard to kind of accept the change that they're facing,' Dale Knapp of Walden Renewables said. 'This is an injection of revenue that they desperately need.'

    "This week, the Maine Public Utilities Commission [#MainePUC] approved new rules, paving the way for solar development on PFAS-polluted farms.

    "'The Act provides that the commission must give a primary preference to projects that are located on contaminated lands,' Carrie Gilbert of the Maine PUC Commission said.

    "'This is our best option,' Stone said. 'So reluctantly, very reluctantly I guess, that’s what we ended up having to do.'

    "Stone plans to sign a 30-year lease for the solar array.

    "After that, his farm may still be contaminated with forever chemicals, but 30 years is a long time for someone to come up with a solution.

    "'That might mean that generational farm just goes on pause,' Knapp said. 'And the next generation may have the opportunity to return it to being a family farm someday.'

    "'I’m very bitter,' Stone said. 'This is not the way we wanted to see this go. Yeah, I would love to see it continue on as a farm of some kind but damn the state of Maine for putting me in this position.'"

    wgme.com/news/local/this-is-ou

    #MaineFarms #SolarFarms #ContaminatedFarmland #Reuse #SolarFarm #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #PFOA #WaterIsLife #PFOS #PFASContamination #WaterPollution #PFASPollution #PTFE #Wildlife #Cancer #Contamination #Chemicals #Environment #GenXChemicals