Mowing Under Solar Panels

100 electric solar powered.

Mowing under solar panels.

From the cronkite school of journalism amanda mason brings us one. Mowing spraying herbicide grazing sheep goats and covering the area with weed control sheets for example. Solar power plants provide many benefits but at least one perpetual challenge. Even the sheep tried at one small site behaved unreliably.

On a humid overcast day in central minnesota a dozen researchers crouch in the grass between rows of photovoltaic pv solar panels. Bigmow at ge underneath solar panels in their 7 acre solar field robotic battery powered mowers. Ovocontrol a ready to use bait that controls the reproduction of treated birds. Mowers with traditional blades can damage equipment.

Towerguard tensioned wire between posts of varying heights. Hand held weed whackers are a labor intensive solution. Only their bright yellow hard hats are clearly visible above the tall nearly overgrown prarie grasses which are growing exactly as expected. How do you keep grass under the panels from growing too high.

There are several weed control methods used for pv ground mount systems in japan. Bent over white square frames some of the researchers catalog the number and type of native plants growing on a square foot of land. With solar power farms popping up around the country comes the task of controlling vegetation growth under and around the panels. System owners recognize that growing vegetation under and around pv systems must be minimized to protect their valuable investment.

The problem was the labor required to mow the grass underneath the newly installed 7 acre solar farm in durham nc at the ge aviation facility. Gridwire tensioned steel cables suspended in various patterns to deter large aquatic birds. Graze mowers are electric with boosted run times from solar panels. Softee automation and general electric have teamed up for a unique solution.