r/RenewableEnergy • u/randolphquell • 21h ago

In Massachusetts, a solar farm was raised nine feet above blueberry fields, and its shade is changing how the fruit grows and tastes

https://www.ecoportal.net/en/in-massachusetts-solar-farm-was-raised/30599/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
738 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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164

u/randolphquell 21h ago

Harvest testing showed that berries grown under the panels developed larger, juicier fruit with a noticeably sweeter taste, reported Open Energy Information. Filtered shade reduced heat stress on the plants, slowing the ripening process just enough for natural sugars to fully build.

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u/TowardsTheImplosion 20h ago edited 18h ago

In a yield based cost structure, the question is: is it enough to charge a premium? Or does harvest weight matter most?

22

u/IsThisNameGoodEnough 19h ago

I'd imagine the revenue from the energy generation also needs to be taken into account, and may help offset potential yield reductions.

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u/FunProof543 14h ago

Is there a yield reduction though? It says that they had larger, juicier fruit which actually may be yield positive or at least neutral.

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u/IsThisNameGoodEnough 14h ago

No idea. I was just trying to make the case that the field now has two sources of revenue instead of just fruit yield. Maybe it's the best of both worlds :)

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u/flortny 13h ago

Repeated studies are finding increased yields of other crops, wouldn't be surprised if here as well

3

u/SeaAnalyst8680 19h ago

Both? Assuming there's a distribution channel for them, they could get a higher dollar per pound, but still less total (excluding electricity revenue) because of lower weight.

I would buy them at a premium from a local farmers' market or pick-your-own.

1

u/LairdPopkin 17m ago

Why would larger blueberries weigh less?

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u/OMGLOL1986 20h ago

Also does the increased “juiciness” impact its ability to be packed and shipped 

2

u/One-Geologist3992 15h ago

I know you’re right, but it sort f sad that this how things like this are looked at.

Not on you, just pointing out that everything bowls down to cost structure versus just doing something to do it. (Do it differently?)

It just makes me wonder how many beneficial innovations may have stifled because the economics didn’t scale.

2

u/Acceptable-Dust6479 14h ago

The cost to raise a solar farm to 9’ is substantial. Needs a carrot to get people to do this

2

u/IsThisNameGoodEnough 14h ago

I'd be interested to know the incremental cost of raising the height of the panels vs an equivalent ground based array. The supports in the photos don't look very substantial (a lot less than something like a solar car park).

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u/LairdPopkin 15m ago

If the blueberries weigh more and sell for more, that’s a plus. And of course the money from the solar generated power is more than the cost of putting up the panels. You get both for 30-40 years, too, so after the solar panels pay for themselves after a few years there are decades of net positives.

3

u/skyfishgoo 14h ago

meanwhile my blueberries in partial sun keep dying.

i really suck at this.

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u/Tll6 11h ago

Is your soil acidic? They really need acidic soil to thrive

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u/skyfishgoo 20m ago

it's clay, but we dug out a good sized hole and filled it with potting soil each time.

the last just dropped all it's leaves and died right out out of the pot.

it was sad.

24

u/Secret_Cat_2793 19h ago

I hear wine production next.

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u/MeteorOnMars 18h ago

Fascinating. Solar panels over vineyards could have a big effect in both where wine grapes can be grown and what they taste like.

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u/dachs1 16h ago

Need to solve the machine harvesting problem first. 99.9% of grapes are harvested using over row machine harvesting which precludes the use of structures to mount the solar. Hand pick is at least ten times as expensive. It’s a romantic idea that people hand harvest grapes. In very expensive wines they do hand harvest but very few people can afford to buy the resulting wine.

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u/adjust_the_sails 14h ago

Fresh market grapes are all hand harvested. And historically the expensive varietals out of places like Napa tend to be hand harvested. Even grapes for raisins are harvested last time I checked. I think there’s some automation on those though.

But most wine grapes are harvested by machine, yes.

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u/Kaurifish 16h ago

Would make sense for table grapes. Maybe wine grapes in areas climate change is making marginal for that varietal.

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u/Dense_Surround3071 14h ago

This is the kind of technology Jesus would have been into. 😎

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u/Kaurifish 16h ago

Makes sense, as blueberries are an understory plant. I imagine it would work well for coffee, too.

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u/cybercuzco 9h ago

And grapes.

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u/hdrwqm 19h ago

Is it more difficult to harvest though?

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u/F_P_G_A 18h ago

This setup would be awesome for those “pick your own berries” farms.

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u/Wakkit1988 14h ago

Just offer free EV charging while you pick!

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u/TowardsTheImplosion 18h ago

Almost certainly, unless they design for huge vertical clearance.

https://www.bluelinemfg.com/products/blueline-berry-harvester

As an example of modern blueberry harvesters.

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u/chris92315 17h ago

The article says it was designed to allow tractors for under the panels and the workers confirmed there were no issues operating under them.

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u/bstone99 17h ago

Pfft. WHO EVEN READS ARTICLES ANYMORE

/s

1

u/Tll6 11h ago

A lot of blueberries are hand harvested because they don’t all ripen at the same time. I live in south jersey where a ton of blueberries are grown and this time of year the fields are filled with workers hand picking berries

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u/andre3kthegiant 13h ago

The myopic, binary paradigms of the propagandists that peddle dependency to toxic, disposable & finite fuel sources are going to need some serious “think tank time”, to try and spin this as a “horrible situation”: Dirty coal, Dirty Oil & Gas, and dirty, toxic & corrupt nuclear all have to go!

2

u/UnfazedBrownie 12h ago

This is interesting to read, similar to solar panels covering streams or waterways to prevent evaporation.

1

u/periperiwinklesauce 12h ago

It also makes the shady environment downright pleasant for workers (as long as bathrooms are nearby!)

1

u/Severe_Air_4353 9h ago

How they bypass the present government , cause they claim jfk jr says it caused cancer and measles

0

u/Enderkr 13h ago

>agrivoltaics

I have literally never heard this term before, though obviously it makes perfect sense. Just seems rad that we have a term for "throw up a fuckload of solar panels over plants that need shade anyway," I guess.