Many orchards across Europe suffered from this year’s extremely hot summer. But not Christian Nachtwey's organic orchard in western Germany - thanks to a genius idea that protects his apples from the blistering summer sun whilst also producing green electricity.
Nachtwey has installed solar panels above many of his apple trees. They provide the ripening apples with much-needed shade while also providing green electricity to the local grid. Nachtwey is one of a growing group of pioneers - farmers that are seeking to increase productivity and establish additional revenue streams.
It’s a clever idea, but it’s not a simple task to get the right balance between solar and crop (or livestock) density. So, Nachtwey is working with scientists to understand which apples grow best under different types of solar panels.
It will probably take several years to see the effect of the panels on the apples across the full range of climatic conditions, but Nachtwey is already seeing real benefits. On July 24 this year, 18% of his uncovered apples suffered sunburn, while those under the solar panels were almost entirely unaffected.
When climate change is causing so much damage, it’s heartening to see this kind of out-of-the-box thinking. We’re certainly going to need a lot more of it!
Photo credit: Martin Meissner
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