Mowing Under Solar Panels

Mowers with traditional blades can damage equipment.

Mowing under solar panels.

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. Gridwire tensioned steel cables suspended in various patterns to deter large aquatic birds. Bent over white square frames some of the researchers catalog the number and type of native plants growing on a square foot of land. Mowing spraying herbicide grazing sheep goats and covering the area with weed control sheets for example.

Bigmow general electric. System owners recognize that growing vegetation under and around pv systems must be minimized to protect their valuable investment. With solar power farms popping up around the country comes the task of controlling vegetation growth under and around the panels. Customers will save significantly on fuel and maintenance costs and will be able to operate effectively and quietly at night.

On a humid overcast day in central minnesota a dozen researchers crouch in the grass between rows of photovoltaic pv solar panels. Ovocontrol a ready to use bait that controls the reproduction of treated birds. Only their bright yellow hard hats are clearly visible above the tall nearly overgrown prarie grasses which are growing exactly as expected. Hand held weed whackers are a labor intensive solution.

Graze mowers are electric with boosted run times from solar panels. Solar panel protection keeps all birds from getting under solar arrays protecting the roof and equipment. How do you keep grass under the panels from growing too high. From the cronkite school of journalism amanda mason brings us one.

Solar power plants provide many benefits but at least one perpetual challenge. Bigmow at ge underneath solar panels in their 7 acre solar field robotic battery powered mowers. Even the sheep tried at one small site behaved unreliably. Towerguard tensioned wire between posts of varying heights.