Oh, but for sure - I don't disagree that energy crops are a woefully inefficient use of land. I thought you wanted to have solar panels on the fields WITH the energy plants, and that would be problematic.

I think we basically agree, then - let's use the best arable land for "real" agriculture and use an area comparable to the area used for energy plants for solar panels instead - and since the quality of the soil is pretty much irrelevant, let's use the area that is the least useful for growing crops anyway.

Energy plants (depending on what they are) are usually farmed with the same kinds of equipment as the ordinary farm crops, so I don't really see that as an option either - the risk of damaging panels during soil preparation is still too high in my opinion.

Pastures are a better option, but, like I said above, it's somewhat depending on who's grazing there. Also, at least here in Denmark, a significant portion of grass fields are rotated (Corn - Clover-grass - Barley - Catch crops), so we're back to heavy machinery.

Meadows might be an option since that type of land is usually hard to use for anything but grazing, but it also tends to be pretty, so covering those with solar panels might not be that popular.

To be honest, I probably prefer retiring farmland that is on the fringe anyway and use that for solar panels. Sandy, drought-prone areas that need a lot of watering and fertilizer to provide a usable crop yield has a lot going for it as the base for a solar farm instead.

I wish that a bit more work would go into putting up trees around the fields, though. A 12 row shelterbelt around the lot would go a long way towards reducing the visual impact of a solar park.

All that aside, to Randahls original point, yes, cover every parking lot and any roof capable of carrying the panels.

Due to the DNS issues, it's hard to look up exact numbers right now.

But for Germany, iirc, 15% of agricultural land is used for energy plants, 20% for pastures. (Agricultural land is 50% of the area of Germany)

This alone would be far more than the area needed for PV.

I'd start with actual roofs and parking lots.

@randahl

I've seen articles about the potential in agrivoltaic farming from time to time, and it simply does not match the reality out there - at least not in Denmark.

Driving through the farmland in autumn and spring you'll see machinery 12-24 or even 36 meters wide, pulled by tractors with 200-300 horsepower or more.

Dirt is flying, small rocks bounce off metal plates and in general you are in the middle of an insanely hostile environment, if you are a small, glass-covered plate of sensitive photovoltaics.

So, modern, large scale farming and solar panels? - no.

Vegetables, berries and fruits? - maybe, depending on the scale and if shade messes up your crop.

Animals and solar? - again, maybe. Cattle could work, but those stands better be solid and tall, or the cows will break it down trying to scratch that itch on their back.

Pigs? Hell no. They'll tear the ground up looking for whatever lives below the surface, chew through the electric cables and electrocute themselves on a weekly basis.

Sheep and goats? - probably yes. They'll love the shade and the shelter, and as long as you keep all electric cables above the ground inside strong metal pipes and any kind of plastic out of reach, you should be golden.

But, in general, keep solar panels away from farming machinery - they don't mix well.

Sure, there will still be windy days, but a roof would still be an improvement.

@randahl

I doubt its that big of a deal at the ground level. Depends on how the gantries were built. They could be growing shade vegetables underneath.

What better way to get more people to cycle than to put a roof over the bicycle path?