Solar panels and horticulture to work together at Lincoln University Energy Farm

A solar farm will allow crops to grow beneath the panels. Photo / Unsplash

By Sally Murphy of RNZ

Lincoln University is building a solar farm that will also grow horticulture crops beneath the rows of panels.

The Lincoln University Energy Farm will be the first in New Zealand to demonstrate high-value agrivoltaics, the process of creating renewable electricity generation and farming on the same land.

Currently under review for resource consent, the farm will have 2800 panels on a four-hectare site near the campus.

One of the project leaders, Dr Shannon Page, said growing high-value crops amongst solar panels would provide better returns for landowners.

“There’s a huge amount of solar farms proposed all around the country, the number keeps on increasing each day.

“I think the best estimate at the moment is there is around 14,000 hectares going to go into solar farms in the next five to six years.

“We really want to explore what the opportunities are for farmers and landowners to really maximise the value of solar farms.”

Page said grazing sheep under the panels was common but the university wanted to explore growing a range of crops between the rows.

“We’re looking at berries like blueberries and ranui berries and vegetable crops as well.”

There is plenty of room for crops with 14 metres between each row of solar panels, he said.

“There’s still plenty of light between the rows to grow crops but we also want to investigate the microclimate underneath the panels.

“With the reduced sunlight under the panels, it could reduce heat stress and evaporation from the ground which could help some crops.”

The solar farm will also help Lincoln University towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Scheduled for completion in mid-2025, the energy farm will increase the university’s total generating capacity to approximately ~3.56 GWh, covering 18% of the campus’s annual electricity requirements after the heating system upgrade to 100% electric power.

Most of the energy generated by the new array will be used by the Lincoln campus, though the university will be looking to donate excess energy to the nearby community during low-demand periods like the end-of-year break and summer weekends.

- RNZ