Solar panels may boost crop yields, per ISU research

Catch up quick: ISU recently released the first-year data from a four-year study on agrivoltaics — the dual use of land for agriculture and solar energy — at a 10-acre Alliant Energy solar site near Ames.

• Researchers are testing crop productivity, soil health and ecosystem impacts beneath solar panels.

What they found: The partial shade from panels appears to benefit vegetables that are sensitive to heat and drought.

• "One thing we've for sure found out is we can grow vegetables on a commercial scale on a solar farm. Period," Ajay Nair, an ISU horticulture professor and one of the project's leaders, told the Iowa State University News Service.

Yes, but: It's too early to tell if some crops like strawberries and grapes produce more because those types of plants typically don't produce full crops in their first year.

What's next: The research is expanding this year with new crops like tomatoes, intensified pest management trials and additional pollinator habitats to support on-site beehives.

• Researchers are also exploring ways to optimize yields across seasons and improve economic viability for farmers, per ISU's news service.

If you go: ISU is hosting a series of free tours of the site to share preliminary findings with the public.

• The next one is June 27.