Agrivoltaics Can Save Farmers From Wind Damage, Too

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The science of agrivoltaics first emerged just a few years ago as researchers began to explore the benefits of growing crops and harvesting solar energy on the same land. Water conservation, improved soil health, and a cooling microclimate are three of the benefits alongside new revenue opportunities for farmers, and now wind protection has become the focus of attention.

The Wind Is Taking Away Our Farmland

The wind protection angle is described in a study under the self-describing title “Agrivoltaics wind shelter benefits with single-axis tracking solar panels,” newly published in the journal Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. The credited researchers are all affiliated with the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University in New York, which explains the study’s meticulous number-crunching over the impact of wind on US farms.

Those impacts are substantially destructive. “Wind can cause varying levels of damage to soils and crops depending on wind speed, wind duration, crop species, crop growth stage, soil conditions, and soil cover,” the research team explains.

“In the U.S., the estimated costs of wind erosion in the agricultural sector surpass $9 billion annually,” they add.

The Natural Solution

Farmers have long understood the benefits of breaking up cropland with lines of densely spaced trees or shrubs. As noted by the Cornell team, an optimized windbreak can yield significant soil conservation results, with a concurrent benefit for crop yields. “Well-designed windbreaks can reduce soil loss by up to 20% and increase pasture productivity by up to 20%,” the researchers note.

“Windbreaks have been shown to increase wheat yields by 5–25% in the sheltered zone, with the greatest benefits typically occurring within 5–10 times the windbreak height on the downwind side,” they add.

The problem is that many windbreaks on US farms are not well-designed or optimized for soil protection. “However, key barriers prevent adoption of windbreaks in some cases,” the researchers explain. “These barriers include land-use tradeoffs and competition for resources between crops and windbreaks. Even when established, windbreaks are sometimes removed due to poor condition, age, and conflict with farming practices.”

Agrivoltaics & Wind Protection

The question is whether or not solar panels in an agrivoltaic array provide the same, or better, wind protection compared to natural windbreaks. That question has yet to be answered in depth, the researchers observe.

“Microclimate studies have focused on solar PV impacts on soil, radiation, and temperature but the present body of literature largely overlooks airflow through a solar facility,” they note. Computational fluid dynamics models have provided some insights into the wind protection benefits of vertical solar panels, but the Cornell team spotted a gaping hole in the literature. The application of CFD models to vertical panels is useful as far as it goes, but it does not address soil conditions under tilted panels.

“…there lacks a deep understanding of the impact of solar PV design on airflow below the solar panels,” the team emphasizes. “This is a critical knowledge gap for AV [agrivoltaic] systems because wind can have a major influence on soil health and crop growth. Quantifying wind conditions below solar panels is thus necessary to understand the benefits and downsides for soils and crops in AV systems.”

The researchers applied CFD to conclude that solar panels outperform natural wind breaks, whether vertical or tilted, in agrivoltaic systems where rows of solar panels are placed perpendicular to the direction of the wind.

In a tilted solar array, the team recorded optimal results when the first wind-facing row of solar panels was lower than the others. “AV LFR [agrivoltaic lowered front row] is the only configuration in this study that achieves 50% wind reduction across 90% of the shelter zone under 35 m/s [miles per second] inlet wind speed,” they reported.

The researchers also took note of the advantage of solar panels with tracking systems. Tracking systems enable the surface of the solar panel to follow the trajectory of the sun for optimum efficiency. They could also enhance the wind protection effect.

“Natural windbreaks can be pruned to manage wind control, but they are typically not dynamic in nature,” the researchers observed. “Thus, the dynamic panel tilt in AV systems presents an opportunity for more optimal wind speed control compared to natural windbreaks:

“When wind reduction is desired, solar panels can be tilted to block airflow. When wind speeds are not damaging or when aeration is desired, solar panels can be tilted to allow airflow through the facility. This can be beneficial in climates like the Northeastern U.S., where aeration is necessary to minimize crop loss from mildew in wet conditions.”

What’s Wrong With Putting Solar Panels On Farmland?

Livestock grazing has already emerged as reliable agrivoltaic practice. Pollinator habitats and native plant restoration are also becoming more commonplace, benefiting nearby crops and opening up new opportunities for beekeepers.

Growing food crops within a solar array is a next-level challenge, as farmers need to balance the value of solar energy against yield reduction. The Cornell wind study provides agrivoltaic planners with another tool in their toolkit, helping to achieve optimal use of the land.

Considering the burdens of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, labor shortages, and skyrocketing fuel and fertilizer costs, revenue from solar arrays can be a lifeline that saves farmland from being permanently sold off for warehouses, shopping malls, second homes, and other forms of real estate development.

That hasn’t stopped some well-connected members of the population (here’s one) from protesting loud and long over putting solar panels on farmland. Nevertheless, federal policy has long supported conservation easements and other farmer support programs that take farmland out of production for decades at a time, and in some cases permanently. Solar power plants complement those programs, particularly in the form of agrivoltaic systems. Solar hardware is a non-intrusive form of development that can be removed after its useful lifespan, typically lasting 20–35 years, whereupon the land can be fully returned for growing food.

The farm-to-solar movement also compares favorably to corn and other traditional energy crops that require wide swaths of managed land. Compared to conventional farming, solar arrays enhance biodiversity, promote soil health, reduce the need for chemical treatments, and avoid the transportation and refinery infrastructure required of biofuels. The community solar movement has also opened up new opportunities for farmers to share the benefits of small-scale, locally produced solar power.

It’s too bad that Trump has choked off federal support for solar panels on farmland. State-based dual-use programs can provide some relief for some farmers, but the overall outlook for the coming years is bleak (pro tip: next time, don’t vote for the convicted felon).

Photo: A new study deploys computational fluid dynamic models to describe how the solar panels in agrivoltaic systems can reduce wind damage and soil loss, outperforming natural windbreaks (cropped; credit Heather Ainsworth, courtesy of Cornell University).