On the Coexistence of Solar-Energy Conversion and Plant Cultivation

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Abstract
In this paper we propose a configuration of a solar, e.g., photovoltaic, power plant, which allows for additional agricultural use of the land involved, although the collectors are optimized for solar-energy conversion. If the collectors are not installed directly on the ground, but are elevated by about 2m above the ground with the periodic distance between collector rows of about three times the height of the collectors, one achieves nearly uniform radiation, (integrated over the day), on the ground of a value of about two-thirds of the global radiation without solar collectors. The mathematical relations allowing calculation of the fraction of light reaching the ground under the collector field are derived. Numerical calculations for both the direct and diffuse part of solar radiation are carried out yielding the seasonal and local dependence of this fraction. In addition, we give an outline of the various advantages offered by this configuration.

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