{
  "id": 4611175,
  "title": "Planting crops in fields of solar panels is more efficient, protects the plants and helps keep workers cool, study finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/planting-crops-in-fields-of-solar-panels-is-more-efficient-protects",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-31T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Science",
    "slug": "live-science",
    "url": "https://www.livescience.com/technology/electronics/planting-crops-in-fields-of-solar-panels-is-more-efficient-protects-the-plants-and-helps-keep-workers-cool-study-finds"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Agri-voltaics, the practice of growing crops around or beneath solar panels, promises to optimize land usage while harnessing renewable energy. Recent research indicates this dual-purpose system not only preserves crops but also mitigates the heat experienced by both plants and workers. A newly developed model simulates the microclimate within agrivoltaic systems, considering energy, air, and water dynamics, as well as carbon dioxide absorption. Utilizing real-world data from Davis, California, and Chicago City, Minnesota, researchers tested the model in Princeton, New Jersey. Under simulated conditions akin to a humid summer day, tomatoes cultivated beneath solar panels were notably cooler, with leaf temperatures 1.84°C lower on average and up to 7.56°C less during the hottest part of the day, leading to a 22.4% reduction in water loss. Despite receiving 47% less sunlight, these crops absorbed 31% less carbon, demonstrating that cooler conditions partially compensated for reduced photosynthesis. Additionally, the panels themselves were 5.6°C cooler than their soil counterparts, allowing them to regain 15% of lost efficiency in warmer weather. Perceived temperatures for human workers dropped by 4.46°C during work hours, underscoring significant health and safety advantages. The researchers propose this model as a tool for evaluating the potential benefits of agrivoltaic systems across various crops and climates.",
  "summary": "A new model simulates the benefits of agrivoltaic farming, in which solar panels and crops share the same land.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}