A solar power station has been built directly above an olive grove in Spain, with the panels raised more than 4 metres off the ground so the trees can be kept while the site still generates electricity.
More than 5,150 photovoltaic panels were installed at the site, with a combined capacity of 3.65 megawatts, according to the outlet Autonocion. An energy storage system with a capacity of 3 megawatt-hours was also placed nearby.
The defining feature of the project is the height of the structure. The panels sit on supports 4 metres tall above olive trees that stand around 2 metres high.
The gap has less to do with the trees themselves than with the machinery used to harvest them. A specialised harvester drives along the rows, grips each trunk and shakes the olives loose. When fully raised, the machine reaches about 3.5 metres, which the extra clearance is designed to accommodate.
The panels are also mounted at an angle of around 30 degrees, with the distance between rows calculated so they do not cast shade on one another.
An experimental site
The project covers a plot of about 5 hectares. More than 20% of that area was deliberately left free of panels, creating a control zone for researchers.
Specialists from the University of Jaen will compare the condition of trees grown under the panels with those on the open ground, studying yield, water stress and soil temperature.
It is still too early to draw conclusions about the effect of the panels on the harvest, since the trees under the structure have not yet completed a full agricultural cycle.
Researchers expect that the partial shade could have a positive effect in the hot Mediterranean climate. Modelling has suggested that the panels may need a certain degree of transparency in order to preserve olive yields.
