ITHACA (WBNG) — Cornell University is researching using solar panels to grow apples in hopes of producing clean energy.
Jared Buono, director of the Hudson Valley Institute at Cornell University, said this is the first time France has been doing this for grapes for 10 years, but never for apple orchards. He said it was not about.
Buono added that the panels will protect budding apple trees from the weather and allow them to grow more crops. The panels are also movable, allowing for control of the amount of sunlight that hits the crops.
“We are looking at tracking panels designed to more efficiently detect the effect of the sun’s angle on the sky,” Buono said. “We track the sun if we want to optimize power generation or to prevent sunlight from hitting the plants.”
Mobility is essential for research, apples need sun to turn color, and too much sun will burn the crop.
“Although it may seem counterintuitive, we can share the sunlight we grow from panels to generate electricity without necessarily sacrificing food crop yields,” he said. “So if we can find a way to make this happen, it’s kind of a win-win situation.”
Buono said Rutgers University in New Jersey conducted its own study using data from past growing seasons. However, because apple trees take time to grow, data will not be obtained for several years.
“We’re talking about perennial crops and how it takes several years to get an orchard up and running,” Buono explained. “Then let’s see if we can do it next year. It will probably take two to three years to see results.”
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