Any animal requires a safe environment to live in. Whether you have one cow or an entire herd of cattle, good cattle panels keep them out of trouble. As an animal owner, you want to protect your investment. But before investing in cattle panels fencing system, check out these 9 essential elements to make the most informed decision.
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The first thing to consider when buying cattle panel fencing is the material. Animals get to &#;know&#; a cattle panel through sight and &#;pain memory.&#; If it&#;s a powerfully built cattle panel, they will avoid it. That&#;s why strong, tall, visible cattle panels are essential for receiving corrals and feedlots. Animals will challenge a cattle panel if they&#;re temperamental or spooked, and newly-weaned calves that try to get back to their mothers might test a cattle panel, too. Therefore, the key to a good cattle panel is to build it properly out of sturdy material.
Wood was the traditional choice for cattle panel fencing, often cut and milled right off the farm. But for early cattle panel builders, the heartwood of aged, hardwood trees was readily available, and this heartwood had longevity&#;often lasting 100 years with little attention. Today, this type of wood is, unfortunately, generally unavailable. The wood at lumberyards is a typically softer wood that requires diligent upkeep.
In humid climates, a wooden fence has a life expectancy of about 20 years, provided a regular maintenance schedule that includes painting or staining every few years. Without dedicated maintenance, a wooden fence will suffer. Pressure-treated lumber will last for about seven years without painting or staining, but it has a higher cost than untreated lumber. That&#;s why wood is rarely used today for perimeter cattle panels of large pastures. Its durability makes it only suitable for small fields. That&#;s why agriculturists had to look for alternative materials such as steel.
If you want good cattle panels, you should build them properly out of sturdy material that will not be susceptible to the weather. Therefore, the best material for cattle panels is steel. Traditionally an alloy of iron and carbon, steel stands as one of the most commonly used metals globally. It&#;s used across industries from construction to blacksmithing to sewing and especially agriculture.
Iron has a little more hardness than copper. The addition of carbon strengthens the steel and makes it more durable until a specific concentration is reached, at which point it becomes brittle. Rather than other metal materials, steels have many outstanding characteristics:
&#; High hardness, good tensile strength thanks to iron.
&#; Tougher and more durable, giving less strain for the same stress because of the additional carbon.
&#; Good ductility.
&#; Low wear rate and good corrosion resistance.
&#; Steel can be used for larger spans with less depth.
&#; Easy to work with, easy to recycle.
The steel used in agriculture falls into three types: carbon-manganese steel; high-strength, low-alloy (HSLA) steel; and high-strength quenched and tempered alloy steel. Nowadays, in cattle panel fencing projects, we can easily find that the most common material is pre-galvanized zinc coated steel pipe, which is rust-resistant, capable of resisting the outdoor environment.
Steel is naturally rustable. Hence, the steel&#;s surface should be treated with chromate and a zinc layer. The thicker the layers, the more cattle panels will be resistant to corrosion. The thicker layers also protect the inner steel layers in the long term. The surface treatment also adds shine to your steel cattle panels and makes them more visible. Thus, it makes it easier for your cattle to identify and beware of them.
Galvanising protects the underlying iron or steel in these fundamental ways:
&#; The zinc coating, when intact, prevents corrosive substances from reaching the underlying layer of steel or iron.
&#; Zinc serves as a sacrificial anode so that even if the coating is scratched, the remaining zinc will still protect the exposed steel.
&#; Zinc protects iron by corroding first. For better results, the application of chromates over zinc is considered an industrial trend.
alvanized steel tubes&#;Hot-dip galvanizing adds a thick, robust layer of zinc-iron alloy on the steel surface of an item. In automobile bodies, where additional decorative coatings of paint are applied, electro galvanizing applies a thinner form of galvanizing.
The hot-dip process generally does not reduce strength on a measurable scale, except for high-strength steels ( MPa), where hydrogen embrittlement can become a problem. This deficiency is a consideration affecting the manufacture of wire rope and other highly-stressed products.
The hot-dip galvanizing does not provide sufficient protection for products constantly exposed to corrosive materials such as acids, including acid rain in outdoor uses. For these applications, more expensive stainless steel is optimal. Some nails made today are galvanized. Nonetheless, electroplating is used on its own for many outdoor applications because it is cheaper than hot-dip zinc coating and looks good when new.
Another reason not to use hot-dip zinc coating is that for bolts and nuts of size M10 (US 3/8&#;) or smaller, the thick hot-dipped coating fills in too much of the threads, reducing strength (because the dimension of the steel before coating must be reduced for the fasteners to fit together). Therefore, for cars, bicycles, and many other light mechanical products, the practical alternative to electroplating bolts and nuts is not hot-dip zinc coating but making the fasteners from stainless steel.
The crystallite size in galvanized coatings is a visible and aesthetic feature is known as &#;spangle.&#; By varying the number of particles added for heterogeneous nucleation and the rate of cooling in a hot-dip process, the spangle can be adjusted from a uniform surface (crystallites too small to see with the naked eye) to grains several centimeters wide. Visible crystallites are rare in other engineering materials, even though they are usually present.
Thermal diffusion galvanizing, or Sherardizing, provides a zinc diffusion coating on iron- or copper-based materials. Parts and zinc powder are tumbled in a sealed rotating drum. At around 300 °C (572 °F), zinc will diffuse into the substrate to form a zinc alloy.
Shot blasting carries out the advanced surface preparation of the goods. The process is also known as &#;dry galvanizing&#; because no liquids are involved; this can avoid possible problems caused by hydrogen embrittlement. The dull-grey crystal structure of the zinc diffusion coating has good adhesion to paint, powder coatings, or rubber. It is a preferred method for coating small, complex-shaped metals and for smoothing rough surfaces on items formed with sintered metal.
II. Cattle panel frames
The frame will naturally depend on your animal size. For instance, cattle panels for horses require the tallest frames. For cows and bulls it can be slightly shorter. Then hog panels should be shorter than cow panels, and the shortest ones are those for sheep and goats. Please be noted that most sheep and goat panels will stop the cattle. The reverse is not always true.
Height & Width
The frame width should be long enough to minimize the installation process but short enough to be easily handled. Cattle panels for the small ones require closer vertical bar spaces than those for huge ones.
III. Cattle Panel Rails
About the structure of the cattle panels, you wouldn&#;t want to have the rails spaced too far apart because then the cattle could maybe go underneath or through it. Hence, cattle panels for adult males require closer rail spacing.
The standard rail quantity for cattle fences is about 5 to 6. Cattle panels for mixed sizes (ewes with lambs, cows with calves, etc.) may need more rails than uniform animal groups.
Without a doubt, goats are clever and creative escape artists. Therefore, it&#;s wise to have a higher density of rails for goat panels, too. Even though cattle panels are short due to their low height, the ideal rail quantity is still the same.
The cattle panels need closer rail spacing below. The reason is that in the low height, they tend to be stronger and easier to attack and escape from the cattle panels.
These kinds of panels are also suitable for a mixed-sized cattle farm. They are effective for both bigger and smaller animals.
V. Cattle Panels Pipes
Steel pipes are long, hollow tubes used for a variety of purposes. There are two distinct production methods, which result in either a welded or seamless pipe. In both methods, raw steel is first cast into a more workable starting form. It is then turned into a pipe by stretching the steel out into a seamless tube or forcing the edges together and sealing them with a weld.
The first methods for producing steel pipe were introduced in the early s, and they have steadily evolved into the modern processes we use today. Millions of tons of steel pipes are produced every year. Their versatility makes them the most often used product.
You can find steel pipes in a variety of places. Since they are strong, they are used underground for water and gas transportation. They are also employed in construction to protect electrical wires. While steel pipes are strong, they can also be lightweight, making them perfect for cattle panel fencing.
There are three common types of pipes for cattle panels: round pipes, oval pipes, square and rectangular pipes. Round and Oval steel is typically used for horizontal rails because they don&#;t have a sharp corner and can contain high tenderness.
On the other hand, Square and Rectangular Steel Pipes are not recommended for horizontal rails because these types can cause injuries to your cattle when they attack the panels. Therefore, they are normally used for vertical posts because they are easier for construction.
Again, depending on the size of the cattle, the pipe sizes vary from 40×40, 50×50, 60×60, 75×75, 90×90, 100×100, 115×42, 97×42, 75×40, 59x30mm. Round pipes should be around OD 26 &#; 27mm.
Sizes make the visibility for the cattle panels. Visibility is the most crucial consideration when selecting fencing for animals such as horses, deer, and antelope that move at high speed and have a restricted color perception (compared to humans). They need to see the cattle panels so they don&#;t run into them and become entangled. Wide-rails are ideal for sightlines, lightweight and easy to install, and equally effective. This type of cattle panel is more portable in the long run, as well.
Thickness from 0.8mm to 3.2mm is ideal for panel pipes. The stronger the cattle are, the thicker cattle panel pipes should be.
V. Cattle Panels Welded Parts
If you own a farm, you should learn how to keep your animals from breaching the cattle panel line, which can occur when the animals are hungry, weaning, breeding, or are simply bored.
&#; Hunger: Starved animals will eventually challenge most fences.
&#; Weaning: Strong physical barriers are needed to cope with separation.
&#; Breeding: Libido induces all creatures to challenge rules (and fences).
&#; Boredom: Animals in corrals, stalls, and lots crave any &#;entertainment.&#;
&#; Gateways and handling yards: Animals often push each other into fences when being moved around.
&#; Fear and fright: Predators or loud noises can make the &#;preyed&#; animals (e.g., horses, goats, turkeys) run in terror straight into, under, over, or through any fence, no matter what fence design (netting, hi-tensile, or woven wire).
For the potential hazards above, welded parts are an irreplaceable component of any cattle panel. Their purpose is to connect the panels, turning them into a closed fence. Stronger welded parts make more robust cattle panels. Welded parts should be solid enough to withstand the animal force. If these parts aren&#;t tight even in one of the panels, the cattle can easily break them and escape.
These are some popular types of welded parts: U lug and L lugs, caps, panel base.
U-lugs form a U-shape, which has one more foot than L-lugs. These lugs ought to be firmly welded to the panels to ensure their connection.
Usually, along with the lugs, pins are used to link the panels. The best material for pins is stainless steel. Stainless steel pins never wear out and will last a lifetime. These are perfect for use in wet weather.
VI. Cattle Panel Paint
Depending on the product mix, square feet per ton, and steel surface condition, galvanizing is often less expensive than galvanizing on an initial cost basis. However, as with any purchase, the lifetime costs should be considered when choosing which corrosion prevention system to utilize.
With galvanizing, the life-cycle cost, i.e., the cost per year to maintain, is almost always less than a paint system. Paint systems require maintenance, partial repainting, and completely repainting several times over 30-year project life. The costs can be staggering, deciding to paint a costly one in the long run.
However, zinc and paint combined (synergistic effect) produce corrosion protection of approximately 2X the sum of the corrosion protection that each alone would provide. Additionally, duplex coatings make repainting easy, ensure excellent safety marking systems, and good color-coding. Painting over galvanized steel that has been in service for many years also extends the life of the zinc coating.
VII. Must-Have Features
Of course, it is the durability of cattle panels that differentiates the good products from the bad. Don&#;t sacrifice quality or durability to save money. Good cattle panels made from suitable material using modern technology last longer and will save your budget in the long term because you won&#;t need to maintain or replace them regularly. Since cattle panels can cost higher on average, so you should consider which type you will purchase. The higher the quality of products, the pricier they will be.
However, it&#;s important to mention that some suppliers will charge you more, but you don&#;t necessarily get better quality. You should carefully inquire the supplier about the information on the material as well as the technology used. You can even check their quality certification. If their steel pipes follow JIS G standard, ASTM Standard, or AS/NZS Standard, &#; you can be pretty assured about the quality of this product. Moreover, the quality management systems should be certificated in ISO International Standard.
Strong cattle panels are better equipped for the outdoor environment and will generally last you longer. However, in harsher environments with hotter climates such as Africa, Asia or colder climates such as England, Russia or Australia, you should thoroughly choose the appropriate material to handle the potential weather hazards. We highly recommend choosing thick stainless steel pipes in big sizes, which can resist high pressure.
Cattle panels should also be resistant to high-temperature corrosion. The term &#;high-temperature corrosion&#; is not very accurate. It generally concerns &#;dry&#; corrosion, usually by gases, and what is high for one material may be low for another. However, in stainless steel, it can often be taken to mean 500 deg C and higher.
Under these conditions, the surface alteration produced on stainless steel is usually relatively uniform. When you expose the material to an oxidizing atmosphere at high temperatures, an oxide layer usually forms on the surface.
This layer will slow down any further oxidation. If the temperature of the material increases, the oxide growth rate will increase, and the layer will finally crack and spall off when the scaling temperature is reached, thus losing its protective effect. Chromium-alloyed steel has better resistance to oxidation than carbon steels due to chromium and iron oxides in an oxide layer.
Practically, various types of stainless steel are used across the whole temperature range from ambient to deg C. The choice of grade depends on several factors:
&#; Maximum temperature of operation
&#; Time at temperature, cyclic nature of the process
&#; Type of atmosphere, oxidizing, reducing, sulphidizing, carburizing.
&#; Strength requirement
Iron and steel rust when they come into contact with water and oxygen. They rust faster in salty water or acid rain. On the other hand, Chrome does not rust easily because a layer of chromatic oxide protects its surface.
Iron and steel rust when they come into contact with water and oxygen. Both water and oxygen worsen rusting. Rusting is an oxidation reaction. The iron in steel reacts with water and oxygen to form hydrated iron(III) oxide, which we see as rust. The word equation for this reaction is Iron + water + oxygen &#; hydrated iron(III) oxide.
Salt dissolved in water does not cause rusting, but it does speed it up, as does acid rain. Regular rain initially contains salt and acid. Therefore, in places where it rains regularly, you should require the manufacturer to thicken the zinc-coated or chromatic layer to protect the inner.
Galvanized zinc coating will make the cattle panels more resistant to rust. Rusted steel weakens the structural integrity of the panels, increasing the risk of your cattle breaking free. Although galvanizing will mitigate the damage of the underlying steel, rusting will inevitably occur after long years of weather exposure, especially under acidic conditions.
For example, corrugated iron sheet roofing will start to degrade within a few years despite zinc coating&#;s protective qualities. Marine and salty environments also lower the lifetime of galvanized iron because the high electrical conductivity of seawater increases the rate of corrosion, primarily through converting the solid zinc to soluble zinc chloride, which simply washes away. Galvanized car frames exemplify this; they corrode much faster in cold environments due to road salt, though they will last longer than unprotected steel.
Galvanized steel can last for many decades if other supplementary measures are maintained, such as paint coatings and additional sacrificial anodes. The rate of corrosion in non-salty environments is caused mainly by levels of sulfur dioxide in the air. In the most benign natural environments, such as inland low population areas, galvanized steel can last without rust for over 100 years.
Typically, galvanized piping rusts from the inside out, building up layers of plaque inside the piping, causing water pressure problems and eventual pipe failure. These plaques can flake off, leading to visible impurities in water and a slightly metallic taste. The life expectancy of galvanized piping is about 70 years. Still, it may vary by region due to contaminants in the water supply and the proximity of electrical grids, where piping acts as a pathway (the flow of electricity can accelerate chemical corrosion). Additionally, Pipe longevity depends on the thickness of zinc in the original galvanizing, which ranges on a scale from G40 to G2.
It also depends on whether the pipe was galvanized on both the inside and outside, or just the outside.
Galvanized steel pipes used in outdoor applications require steel&#;s superior mechanical strength. Thus, the use of galvanized pipes lends some truth to the urban myth that water &#;purity&#; in outdoor water faucets is lower, but the actual impurities (iron, zinc, calcium) are harmless.
Normally, cattle panels are easy to assemble, and any farm-owner could do the set-up. However, the accessories such as pins still require skills for quicker work. Therefore, the best cattle fence should include familiar accessories.
VIII. Cattle Panels: Packing and Transportation
Contact us to discuss your requirements of livestock panels exporter. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Cattle Panels should be packed and labeled according to distance and transportation. One should take great care to avoid any damage during storage or transport. In addition, clear labels are tagged on the outside of the packages to help easier identify the product I. D. and quality information.
The supplier must provide standard seaworthy packaging. Usually, the tubes are packed in bundles, wrapped in a plastic bag, fixed by a steel strip, and then placed in the container with steel wire fixing. All these packing details ensure your goods are delivered to you safely.
Every part of the cattle panel needs different packing:
&#; Packing of Cattle panels: plastic film and wooden or metal pallet.
&#; Packing of Cattle panels&#; pins: Every 50 pieces should be packed in a double layers strength woven bag.
&#; Packing of Cattle panels&#; other accessories: small plastic bag.
Metal pallets are cost-effective and safe for many reasons. First, you don&#;t have to replace them. Second, since metal is virtually unbreakable, our galvanized metal finishing lowers the risk of chemical contamination when used with hazardous waste material. Third, plastic film is also needed to protect the cattle panels from wear and tear.
IX. Choosing a trusted cattle panel supplier
Last but not least, choosing a reputable supplier with a strong customer base can ensure the cattle panels&#; quality. Other than reputation, these are some factors that differentiate the best cattle panel supplier from average.
The production capacity of the manufacturer determines how long it takes you to receive your cattle panels. The higher the production capacity is, the shorter time you have to wait. It depends on the factory size and the technology they applied. In general, big manufacturers have a higher production capacity.
If you own a large farm with a herd of more than 100 cows, it&#;s essential to find a steel manufacturer with a production capacity of around 500MTS of pipes per day; pcs cattle panel per month.
The best suppliers control their entire production process: from processing raw materials to packing the final product. Thus, the manufacturer can completely control the quality of the cattle panels. If they are not steelmakers and resort to buying pipes from another supplier, they cannot be sure about the exact material and production process. What happens if your cattle panels become rusty after three months of usage, and when you contact your supplier, they shift the blame onto the steelmakers. Moreover, it results in higher prices because the products&#; prices include more transportation costs and benefits.
Each production stage should use separated and up-to-date production techniques. Modern machinery and advanced technology will save energy and reduce production costs. There are global standards for the quality management system and product quality such as ISO, Standards Australia, ASTM, JIS G, &#; Make sure you ask the supplier about their quality certification before ordering anything.
Professional consultation is essential when you are barely familiar with cattle panels and steel in general. The professional suppliers will guide you through the right material based on your location and weather conditions, which type of steel pipes to choose from, help you customize the height and width of the frame suitable for your cattle. They had better provide free consultancy services with 24/7 availability if they want to stand out from the competition.
If you are looking for a foreign supplier, they need to have experience exporting activities. It&#;s in your best interest to work with a knowledgeable and dynamic team, which will help streamline the process and deliver you the best results.
Cattle Panels Supplier: Delivery
The delivery time for cattle panels is about 30 &#; 60 days depending on the distance between you and the supplier.
Cattle Panels Supplier: After-sales service
After buying cattle panels, you still need assistance with set-up and maintenance. You would be in trouble if your supplier disappeared right after your purchase without any guarantee of the quality of the product.
Chinh Dai Steel&#;s Cattle Panels
Chinh Dai Steel is a professional supplier specializing in producing cattle panels for Cows, Bulls, Lambs, Goats, Horses, Sheep, etc. Our products are well-known in many international markets such as Australia, India. Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, etc.
Specification
Material: Pre-galvanized zinc-coated steel pipe.
Pipe Style: Round pipes, Oval pipes, square pipes, rectangular pipes
Pipe size (mm): 40×40, 50×50, 60×60, 75×75, 90×90, 100×100, 115×42, 97×42, 75×40, 59×30 &#;
Thickness: 0.8mm to 3.2mm
Colour: Basic Zinc; Paint: Silver, White, Black.
Feature: Easily Assembled, Eco-friendly, Pressure Treated Timbers, Rodent Proof, Rot Proof, Tempered Glass, Waterproofing, etc.
Quality
Quality management system: ISO : International Standard.
Product quality: JIS G standard, ASTM International Standard, AS/NZS International Standard.
Technology: In seven technology steps, we apply modern machinery and advanced technology to save energy and reduce production costs.
Production process: closed from raw material to final product. Each production stage uses a separate and modern production line.
Production capacity: 500MTS of pipe per day; pcs Cattle Panel per month.
Durability
Product lifetime: more than 20 years.
Surface Treatment: chromate layer. The products are guaranteed to have a beautiful shine and gorgeous patterns. The zinc and chromate layer is thick and resistant to corrosion. It also helps to protect the inner layer for a more extended period.
Service
Payment: Letter of Credit, T/T.
Packing: Steel pallet for Cattle Panel.
Delivery time: 30 &#; 60 days after receiving the deposit (depends on distance).
Communication: 24/7 hotline, 24/7
We have a world population expected to grow by 1.2 billion people within 15 years, coupled with a growing demand for meat, eggs and dairy, which soak up over 70% of fresh water for crops, plus electricity demand that&#;s growing even faster than population growth &#; what are we supposed to do about all of that? Well, we can combine two of my favorite things: technology and food. Both of which I&#;ve been accused of having too much of. But, could combining solar panels plus farming be a viable solution to all of those problems? Let&#;s take a closer look at electrifying our crops &#; not literally electrifying crops &#; never mind &#; let&#;s take a closer look at adding solar to our farm land as well as some of the side benefits &#; and challenges &#; it creates.
The problem with solar panels is that they need a lot of space to generate serious amounts of electricity. Agrivoltaics or APV for short, combines agriculture with electricity generation by farming under a canopy of solar panels &#; and there&#;s some really interesting recent examples that make a compelling case for it, but before getting into that it&#;s a good idea to understand the challenges around solar parks in general and some of the solutions that have been developed.
Solar parks in rural areas have been around for almost two decades. The major problem with this type of solar installation is that the ground beneath the panels can&#;t be used, mainly due to the small spaces between the rows of panels which aren&#;t large enough for modern farming equipment to pass through.
It is possible to convert a typical solar park into dual land use when it&#;s designated as a living area for grazing by small livestock like chicken, geese, and sheep, as well as for beekeeping.
These animals are beneficial to solar farms because they reduce the cost of maintaining vegetation growth and don&#;t introduce any risk to the panels themselves. The same can&#;t be said of something a bit larger like pigs, goats, horses, or cattle &#; it&#;s a known fact that cattle hate solar panels.
When more space is allowed in between the solar panel rows, crops can be grown there. However, the space beneath the panels still isn&#;t usable and needs to be maintained. This is considered alternating land use instead of dual land use because there are areas of the land that are one or the other &#; not both solar and crops at the same time. The land between the rows will be shaded during some hours of the day, meaning you&#;re altering the characteristics of the land and the types of crops that can be grown.
So what if we started to go vertical with our solar panels? That&#;s where we start to get some interesting alternatives to standard ground mounted solar park style installations.
Using vertically mounted bifacial modules allows for more arable land. And if you don&#;t know what bifacial solar panels are, they can collect solar energy from both sides of the panel. This type of installation would work particularly well in areas that suffer from wind erosion, since the structures reduce wind speeds which can help protect the land and crops grown there. The bifacial panels also can generate more power per square meter than traditional single faced panels and don&#;t require any moving parts.
Then there&#;s also the option of mounting panels on stilts, which allows farming machinery to pass underneath.
In this design you have to maintain a certain clearance between rows to protect the stilts from the machinery, so there is a modest arable land surface loss &#; usually 3-10%. Many variations on this theme are currently under active research. Instead of fixed panel mounting, panels can be mounted with actuators, allowing the panels to tilt in one or two directions, which allows for both solar energy and plant growth optimization. This can be particularly important during the initial stages of growth for some crops.
But what about growing crops &#; UNDER &#; the elevated panels?
You&#;d think that solar panels casting shade on plants would be a bad thing, but the way photosynthesis works makes things interesting. Plants grow their mass out of CO2 with the help of sunlight. They literally are growing from the air &#; BUT &#; not all available sunlight can be converted into biomass. After a certain threshold, which is called the light saturation point, plants can&#;t absorb any more energy, so they need to get rid of that excess energy by evaporating water.
If we oversimplify this, we can divide the plants into two groups: &#;I&#;ll have my light supersized&#; plants and &#;can I order my light off the kids menu&#; plants. That group, the so-called shade plants, are particularly useful in combination with solar panels, since the panels obviously block some of the available sunlight.
Now sun plants are sometimes referred to as shade-intolerant plants, which makes them sound like jerks. This is a slight misnomer, since these plants just require more sunlight than shade plants but can also suffer from too much sunlight. When any plant reaches their threshold, they can suffer from &#;sunburn&#; and heat stress, just like me, causing increased amounts of water evaporation &#; just like me.
According to a report from the German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy, nearly all crops can be cultivated under solar panels, but there may be some yield loss during the less sunny seasons for sun hungry plants. In the RESOLA project conducted between and in the German area of Lake Constance or the Bodensee as the Germans call it, they demonstrated that during a relatively &#;wet and cold&#; year in APV-crop yields were 25% less than the non-solar reference field, but in the &#;dry and hot&#; years of and the APV-crops yields exceeded the reference field. That&#;s a sign that APV could be a game changer in hot and arid regions.
The amount of experience with agrivoltaics is still fairly limited and the big successes have been mainly with shade tolerant crops like lettuce, spinach, potatoes, and tomatoes.
Which leads us to some of the super promising examples that make a compelling case for agrivoltaics.
Let&#;s switch over to The Netherlands. Tiny as it is, it is the second largest exporter of food in the world!
The company &#;GroenLeven&#;, a subsidiary of the BayWa group, which is headquartered in Munich Germany, has started several pilot projects with local fruit farmers. Their largest site is in the village of Babberich in the east of the Netherlands, close to the German border, at a large 4 hectare raspberry farm, which is about 10 acres for those of us not on metric. They&#;ve converted 3 hectares into a 2 MW agrivoltaics farm. The remaining part was left in a traditional farming setup. Raspberries are a fragile, shade tolerant fruit that&#;s typically grown in rows covered with plastic to help protect them from the elements and ensure high yields.
In this project the raspberry plants are grown directly under the solar panels, which have been placed in alternating rows facing east and west. This maximizes solar yield, but also protects the plants from the prevailing winds. They did test traditional solar panels in this project, but they took away too much of the available sunlight, so they switched to panels with a larger spacing between the solar cells to let more light through. The amount and quality of the fruit produced under the panels was the same or better as the fruit produced under the traditional plastic tunnels.
One big benefit for the farmer was the amount of work saved from managing the plastic tunnels, which are easily damaged by hail and summer storms. In those cases fruits may become unsellable from the damage, but they still have to be harvested anyway. During the last summer storms, the fruits under the panels didn&#;t sustain any damage, while the harvest from the reference field was destroyed.
Another major difference between the argrivolatic test field and reference field: the temperature was several degrees cooler under the solar panels. Not only is it more pleasant for the farm workers, but it also reduced the amount of irrigation water by 50% compared to the reference field. Even cooler is how the crops affect the solar panels. The crops and their limited water evaporation actually keep the panels cool. Solar panels actually don&#;t like to be hot, since it reduces their energy efficiency; the cooler a panel can be, the more energy it will provide.
So just based on that, agrivoltaics appears to be a winning strategy. If we were to convert even a fraction of our current agricultural land use into agrivoltaics, a large portion of our energy needs can be met &#; easily. And with the added benefits in reduced water consumption, agrivoltaics can also be a game changer in hot and arid regions of the world.
So what&#;s keeping us from rolling out this dual-purpose, game-changing system at a massive scale? What&#;s the catch? Energy production is a different ball game from agriculture, which can slow down farmers from embracing the technology. But the actual obstacles are sadly &#; mundane &#; and some frustrating.
It boils down to the the not-in-my-backyard effect (NIMBY), bureaucracy, and the free market.
So let&#;s start with the NIMBY crowd. Not all renewable energy solutions are receiving a warm reception. Prime example is obviously the sight and sounds of a giant wind turbine in the vicinity of your home. Community pushback from the residents of Reno County in Kansas killed a proposed NextEra Energy Inc. wind farm. Also in agriculture, there are examples where current laws enabled building giant biogas plants that weren&#;t always welcomed by the local communities. No matter the reason behind the community outrage and pushback, it&#;s this type of reaction that has killed or delayed many projects, as well as made many local governments gun-shy on pushing them forward.
So in order to prevent communities turning against agrivoltaics it&#;s important to control its spread, especially pseudo-agrivoltaics (a practice to build large solar farms under the guise of agriculture). In protecting the people&#;s interest it helps to build community support, which is essential.
The Fraunhofer institute recommends that
And&#;
With these guidelines in mind, community resistance against agrivoltaics can be kept to a minimum.
Next, rules, regulations, and bureaucracy can also hold it back, which varies from country to country or even from city to city.
&#;As part of its agricultural policy, the EU grants direct payments for land used primarily for agriculture. So, an important question is whether farmland loses its eligibility for financial support due to the use of agrivoltaics [&#;.] &#; Whether the land is mostly used for agricultural purposes is decisive here&#;.
In the EU, agrivoltaic systems are usually considered to be physical structures in terms of the building regulation laws, so they need a building permit. In Germany for instance, it&#;s usually prohibited in rural areas unless it doesn&#;t conflict with a list of public interests. Agrivoltaics, however, isn&#;t on the list of public interests yet.
Lastly and maybe most important is the free market, which is pretty easy to wrap your head around because it all comes down to costs and investment. Just like putting solar on your home, the big number to look at is cost per kWh. Because agrivoltaic solar doesn&#;t yield as much energy per square meter compared to a traditional solar park, on top of the construction costs, the cost per kWh can be 10-20% higher.
And there&#;s the big question of who owns the solar panels. In the Dutch example, the farmer wasn&#;t the investor or owner of the installation. A farmer&#;s willingness to participate all comes down to avoiding negative impacts to the crop yield and having lower operational costs from the solar panels. In this case the solar array owner was able to demonstrate those benefits.
The Fraunhofer institute found that farmers are only willing to engage in a project if the crop yield never falls below 80% of the reference field, but &#; that&#;s only if the farmer owns the solar array. That&#;s because the farmer can make up the crop shortfall from the energy produced. But that also raises the question, if they own the array, how are they going to optimize the solar panels &#; for solar energy production or for crop yield? For the highest energy production per square meter, solar parks win out. For the highest guaranteed crop production, dedicated farming wins out. It all comes down to costs and investments. Without government intervention through subsidies or price guarantees, agrivoltaics may not stand a chance against other solar initiatives.
Agrivoltaics is a very promising concept that has the potential to kill two birds with one stone: helping our food supply and transitioning us to a cleaner energy source. The main benefit comes from the fact that solar panels are great at reducing GHG emissions, without sacrificing arable land. Especially if we can convert land that&#;s currently being used to grow biofuel crops, like palm oil and corn farms, into land for actual human food production and consumption &#; or even reforestation, that would be a huge win! Looking at the big picture and deciding where we want to go can help us find ways to overcome the difficulties along the way.
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