In certain geographical zones, collectors may be installed without adversely affecting the extent of cultivatable zones.
In other zones, the installation of collectors takes place to the detriment of cultivatable areas.
Trials have been carried out with the aim of reconciling the generation of electricity and the preservation of cultivatable extents.
It has thus been proposed in the article “Japan Next-Generation Farmers Cultivate Crops and Solar Energy”, Renewable Energy world 10 Oct. 2013, to cultivate plants in the zones affected by the shadow cast on the ground by collectors.
The publication “Combining Solar photovoltaic panels and food crops for optimising land use: Towards new agrivoltaic schemes”, Renewable Energy 36 (2011)2725-2732 reports the results of comparative trials carried out in the south of France, showing the beneficial effect of the shade provided by the panels on crops.
The thesis entitled “Produire des aliments ou de l'énergie: faut-il vraiment choisir?” presented by Hélène Marroux on 18 Dec. 2012 (Sup Agro Montpellier) suggests adjusting the inclination of the collectors during a period of the year to stimulate the productivity of the crops. The use of panels that are translationally or rotationally movable to increase the uniformity over time of the amount of radiation received by each section of the land cultivated in the shadow of the panels is also described.
The publication WO 2011/047828 A1 discloses an installation including solar panels able to adopt a particular orientation in case of rain, in order to facilitate the collection of water with a view to its use in the irrigation of crops.
Patent application US 2008/0148631 A1 discloses a method for combating desertification using pivotably controlled solar panels to create shade during the day and to facilitate the retention of moisture in the soil during the night.
This publication makes no provision for precisely controlling the orientation of the panels with the aim of optimizing the photovoltaic generation and/or the growth of plants.
Patent application CH 706132 describes an installation for generating electrical power using electrical power generation using solar panels placed above crops, in particular vines. The panels are supported by poles that also serve to attach the wires that support the vine.
The solar panels may be at least partially transparent in order to minimize the effect of shade on the crops.
The panels may be placed so as to optimize the solar generation during some of the year and to optimize the quality of the agricultural production the rest of the year.
There is a need to further improve existing systems allowing plants to be grown and electrical power to be generated.