Solar Array for agricultural application.

SolAgra developed a patented design called SolAgra Farming, which allows for solar panels and crops to share the solar resources of the same unit of land. SolAgra contracted CP&A to perform the structural engineering services to bring this design to life.

SolAgra's patented technologies allow the crops to get all sun that they need, while the panels above generate electricity. The solar panels will be mounted on arrays that are 10-16 feet above the ground to allow for large modern farm equipment to pass beneath.

Just as the wind industry has had success developing on farmland, we believe that PV solar can accomplish that same success. Agricultural land is generally sunny, flat and in many places is close to existing power lines and urban areas; these characteristics are precisely what constitutes good land for developing PV arrays. The cooler microclimate created by the crops under the array increases panel efficiency. Also adding solar arrays on farmland will provide the value of electricity as a new commodity in addition to food for farmers. Using already developed agricultural land also provides the added benefit of conservation of wild desert lands where solar production has traditionally been developed and proposed, without taking farm land out of production.