Summit Plant Labs is a local farm that strives to be completely carbon neutral. To reach this goal, a large solar system was needed to generate sufficient power. However, Summit Plant Labs did not have enough land to spare for a conventional ground mount solar array. What they needed was an agrivoltaic solution. So they called their local agrivoltaic company, Sandbox Solar.

With our agrivoltaic expertise, we were confident that we could find a unique solution that would benefit both the plants, and the farmers. To meet Summit Plant Labs energy needs, while optimizing their solar land-use, we constructed a custom bifacial solar fence. We placed these bifacial solar fences between their greenhouses, land that would otherwise be unused. 

“Why are the fences vertical?” you may ask. Well, this is where our agrivoltaics team comes in to play. A standard solar fence angled at the sun would not fit in this space, however, a vertical solar fence would. Meanwhile, their greenhouses have UV reflective film coverings to protect their plants from excessive sun exposure. To capture these reflected rays we brought in European bifacial solar panels that can harness UV rays from both sides.

This solution optimizes solar land-use and takes advantage of agricultural practices, simultaneously. Summit Plant Labs is now producing enough energy to power their entire farm!

To learn more about this agrivoltaic project and bifacial solar panels see our Case Study and Bifacial Solar Panel Blog!