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Had a farmer set me straight about solar panels last Friday
I was always against putting solar on farmland, thought it wasted good soil. But I stopped at Miller's Farm outside Salem to pick up some pumpkins, and he showed me his setup between crop rows. He said the panels shade the plants in summer heat and cut his electric bill by 40%. Now I'm thinking about getting some for my own place. Anyone else seen agrivoltaics work in person?
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luna5501mo ago
That 40% figure sounds a bit high for most setups I've seen around here, more like 20-25% is typical from what farmers tell me. The shade helping crops in summer is real though, I've got a buddy in Oregon who runs his lettuce under panels and says it cut his water bill too. Still a solid idea, just don't expect magic numbers right off the bat.
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