Mowing Under Solar Panels

On a humid overcast day in central minnesota a dozen researchers crouch in the grass between rows of photovoltaic pv solar panels.

Mowing under solar panels.

Softee automation and general electric have teamed up for a unique solution. Towerguard tensioned wire between posts of varying heights. Bigmow general electric. From the cronkite school of journalism amanda mason brings us one.

Only their bright yellow hard hats are clearly visible above the tall nearly overgrown prarie grasses which are growing exactly as expected. Hand held weed whackers are a labor intensive solution. Solar panel protection keeps all birds from getting under solar arrays protecting the roof and equipment. Graze mowers are electric with boosted run times from solar panels.

Even the sheep tried at one small site behaved unreliably. 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. Bent over white square frames some of the researchers catalog the number and type of native plants growing on a square foot of land. How do you keep grass under the panels from growing too high.

Mowing spraying herbicide grazing sheep goats and covering the area with weed control sheets for example. With solar power farms popping up around the country comes the task of controlling vegetation growth under and around the panels. Bigmow at ge underneath solar panels in their 7 acre solar field robotic battery powered mowers. Gridwire tensioned steel cables suspended in various patterns to deter large aquatic birds.

Solar power plants provide many benefits but at least one perpetual challenge. Ovocontrol a ready to use bait that controls the reproduction of treated birds. Mowers with traditional blades can damage equipment. Customers will save significantly on fuel and maintenance costs and will be able to operate effectively and quietly at night.