You Would Never Imagine Where the Best Place for a Solar Panel Is!

So where is the best place to put a solar panel?

When you make the jump to solar power, one of the questions you will need to answer is “where is the best placement for my solar panels?”

The answer varies depending on what space you have available. In most cases, businesses put solar panels on their roof or in a nearby, vacant lot. Other business, such as highrise buildings that need more generation, install a combination of rooftop solar panels and solar windows – meaning windows that generate solar power (yes, those exist).

But what if you had all the space in the world and you wanted to generate a ton of solar power to power, let’s say, a microgrid. Think, what type of land gets a ton of sun?

Imagine vast solar farms stretching across sun-scorched empty lands.

A desert! One would think.

Here’s where it gets interesting…

According to recent studies, there’s actually a better place to place solar panels.

The most important factor in creating energy through solar panels is, of course, plenty of sun. But there is another factor that plays into it, heat.  Solar panels have a heat threshold that if they reach, or surpass, they start to become less efficient at converting sunlight into energy. That’s why blazing-hot deserts are not actually the best place to put solar panels.

So where do you put them?

The same studies found that in addition to plenty of sun and moderate temperatures, solar panels work best in places that get light winds and low humidity. Combining all these factors – lots of space, direct sun, moderate temperatures, light winds, and low humidity – you naturally land on the best place for solar panels. Food farms!

And the best part? 

Food farms have not only been installing solar panels, but special arrays allow them to grow crops and create solar energy simultaneously!

The Science Of It.

If you’re a scientist, this makes sense. Both solar panels and plants have one thing in common. They use the sun to create energy. Plants use photosynthesis, solar panels use photovoltaic. But beyond science, farms have found that installing solar panels actually pans out in more ways than one.

A recent report released on the subject shows the advantages of having solar panels on your farm, which include shade for the plants, allowing them to thrive. The shade provided by the solar panels also saves irrigation water. And in turn, in the scolding summer, the plants help cool down the solar panels to keep them as efficient as possible.

In all cases this was tested, it worked out positive. Crops and solar panels working together to use the sun to produce energy.