RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University’s (WSU) Tri-Cities Institute plans to use a $2.4 million grant on a program implementing solar panels in apple production.
According to a news release, the grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce for WSU’s Institute for Northwest Energy Futures will fund a 1-acre 610 kW dynamic agrivoltaic (DAV) demonstration system at the WSU Sunrise Research Orchard near Wenatchee, Washington.
The dual-use demonstration site is being designed to provide strategic orchard shading to help reduce summer sunburn risks while also generating solar power for agriculture operations, the release said.
“If mitigation practices are not in place, up to 50% of the fruit can be affected by sunburn,” said Stefano Musacchi, Tree Fruit Endowed Chair in tree fruit physiology and management in the WSU Department of Horticulture. “DAV systems can modify the microclimate by shading the tree and reducing sunburn and water use. Reducing tree stress will also improve fruit quality,” added Musacchi.
Solar panels in an agricultural setting, also known as agrivoltaics, could be a viable and self-reliant way to power irrigation pumps, frost-inhibiting wind machines, automated robotics, and electric tractors, WSU added.
