Arizona Desert Solar Panel Study

A natural desert ecosystem.

Arizona desert solar panel study.

The tucson unified school district is installing solar panels at more than 40 of its campuses. It s a clean energy developer s dream. That s the biggest solar project for any school district in the country. The university of arizona and tucson unified school district are working together to study how plants grow under solar panels.

Agrivoltaics the co locating of agriculture and solar photovoltaic panels offers a possible solution with new university of arizona led research reporting positive impacts on food production water savings and the efficiency of electricity production. Situated in the arizona desert between the cities of yuma and pheonix the array is. Manzo elementary school students tenda solar garden. Ap in the cool shade of solar panels a lush plot of herbs and vegetables hints at one possible future for farming in the desert.

The plant which includes more than 5 million solar panels is expected to pump out 290 megawatts of electricity. By henry brean arizona daily star tucson ariz. A better crop yield and more efficient performance of the solar array. The multidisciplinary team examined the heat island effect of solar energy installations using experiments that spanned three different desert ecosystems in arizona.

The mojave desert straddling california and nevada has been called the saudi arabia of solar power. But it s got plenty of competition from other districts across arizona where more and more schools are going solar including several in the valley. Ap in the cool shade of solar panels a lush plot of herbs and vegetables hints at one possible future for farming in the desert. The solar panel modules can lose efficiency while operating under the blazing sonoran sun.

After more than a decade the sterling solar project will soon become a reality for mohave county. The panels in turn protect the plants from sunburn and dehydration. At the moment that future includes more basil.