Environment: encouraging results from solar panels in German orchards

Above the apple trees, electricity. An experiment on 3,000 m2 is taking place in Germany, and could revolutionize the production of renewable energy. On his farm near Bonn (Germany), Christian Nachtway needed to protect his crops against heavy rains and increasingly frequent hailstorms. “The idea is very clear: we must protect our crops. And if we can make a combination with the production of solar energy which we can then take advantage of, we have a superb synergy”confides the latter.

The solar panels are semi-transparent, and allow 50% of sunlight to pass through. The experiment is supervised by a team of scientists. “For the moment, we are very happy with the development of the trees, and the fruits too. It’s exactly what we expected”, assures Jürgen Zimmer, researcher at the University of Hohenheim (Germany). According to a German research institute, all of the country’s electricity needs could be met by covering only 4% of agricultural land with solar panels.