Field crops and photovoltaic trackers

Solar trackers swivel to follow the sun’s path across the sky. Particularly suited to agriculture, they maximize the production of green electricity while optimizing the sharing of sunlight and allowing mechanical equipment to pass through.

Trackers: allies of field crops

Photovoltaic trackers are panels that follow (i.e. track) the sun’s path throughout the day. The rows of panels thus follow a north-south axis and rotate from east to west.

These mobile panels are suited to field crops, notably because the rows can be set 10 to 14m apart depending on the equipment and operational requirements, and can also be steered when farming vehicles pass by. Another advantage of this steering system is that it optimizes the sharing of sunlight between the crops and the panels, thus limiting shade at certain beneficial times by totally or partially lowering the panels.

Field crop trackers are compatible with many types of crops, some of which prefer shade to a greater or lesser extent (heliophilous or sciaphilous species). Nevertheless, certain crops, given their height and need for light, can require an adaptation of the trackers’ technical itinerary. This work is jointly undertaken by our partner farmers and our agricultural engineers to create an agronomically and economically pertinent project.

Tracker panels provide a plot of land with several services:

Creation of a microclimate on the plot of land thanks to the shade that helps reduce crop evapotranspiration, thus reducing their water stress and needs. This effect is particularly beneficial in dry years, which the latest IPCC reports suggest are likely to become increasingly frequent in coming years.

The tracker technology can be equipped with an innovative rainwater recovery system on the panels, providing a supplementary irrigation solution for non-irrigated plots. The water thus collected is stored and then redistributed across the plot of land via a micro-sprinkler system located under the panels. This mechanism enables water volumes to be accurately managed and consumption and labor to be reduced in comparison to a traditional system.

This water supply is particularly useful for irrigating existing crops or for diversifying the land by introducing new crops with greater added value.

A 50cm to 1m strip is left at the foot of the panels for safety purposes for farm mechanization. Within the framework of our projects, we offer to sow flowers or grass on these strips, depending on the farmer’s expected services, so as to enhance the quantity of beneficial organisms on the plot of land.