How solar panels can boost berries and cut emissions

Added on 28 April 2025

Strawberries and Solar Power: A Sweet Deal for Farmers and the Planet

A recent study published in Solar Energy by Uzair Jamil and Joshua M. Pearce (ScienceDirect, 2024) explored how strawberry plants respond to varying levels of light when grown under thin-film cadmium telluride (Cd-Te) photovoltaic (PV) modules. These semitransparent solar panels were tested at seven transparency levels—10%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80%—in a controlled indoor setting designed to replicate outdoor conditions in London, Ontario.

The goal? To determine whether strawberries can thrive while solar panels above generate clean electricity—a dual-purpose solution known as agrivoltaics.