Agricultural greenhouses occupy a great deal of land and up until now, using the space for rooftop solar panels has often not been viable as sunlight still needs to penetrate down to the plants below. A new product appears to have solved that challenge and could be used in other applications where light needs to pass through a roof area.
Solyndra, Inc. has announced a new solar product for agricultural greenhouse and shade structures that will provide farmers with an additional income stream and power for their operations as well as boosting plant growth by controlling shading .
The cylindrical design of the modules allows for the capture of sunlight and electricity generation from direct, diffuse and reflected light.
Complete coverage with the solar panels creates uniform shading comparable to the light emitted through conventional shade structures or whitewashing. White shadecloth can also be added to protect plants where necessary and allows some of the light to reflect back onto the solar tubes.
Solyndra says have tests have shown that plants such as tomatoes thrive in the partial shading provided by the system.
Multiple megawatts of agricultural installations are under construction in Italy and Solyndra is working with leading greenhouse manufacturers to integrate the system into greenhouse designs.
Solyndra first unveiled its tubular design for commercial rooftop applications in 2008. The technology consists of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-films rolled into a cylindrical shape and placed in a frame. The system allows for easy allows for easy replacement of individual tubes should any be damaged.
