Mowing Under Solar Panels

Gridwire tensioned steel cables suspended in various patterns to deter large aquatic birds.

Mowing under solar panels. How do you keep grass under the panels from growing too high. Solar power plants provide many benefits but at least one perpetual challenge. Graze mowers are electric with boosted run times from solar panels. Only their bright yellow hard hats are clearly visible above the tall nearly overgrown prarie grasses which are growing exactly as expected.

With solar power farms popping up around the country comes the task of controlling vegetation growth under and around the panels. Bigmow at ge underneath solar panels in their 7 acre solar field robotic battery powered mowers. There are several weed control methods used for pv ground mount systems in japan. Bigmow general electric.

Towerguard tensioned wire between posts of varying heights. The problem was the labor required to mow the grass underneath the newly installed 7 acre solar farm in durham nc at the ge aviation facility. 100 electric solar powered. Softee automation and general electric have teamed up for a unique solution.

On a humid overcast day in central minnesota a dozen researchers crouch in the grass between rows of photovoltaic pv solar panels. Hand held weed whackers are a labor intensive solution. Mowing spraying herbicide grazing sheep goats and covering the area with weed control sheets for example. System owners recognize that growing vegetation under and around pv systems must be minimized to protect their valuable investment.

From the cronkite school of journalism amanda mason brings us one. Solar panel protection keeps all birds from getting under solar arrays protecting the roof and equipment. Bent over white square frames some of the researchers catalog the number and type of native plants growing on a square foot of land. Ovocontrol a ready to use bait that controls the reproduction of treated birds.