Episode 342 - Cows, Kilowatts, and Cool-Season Grasses: What Grows Best Under Solar? - UMN Extension's The Moos Room
About this episode
This episode discusses the impact of solar panels on forage production and quality in grazing systems.
This episode of The Moos Room dives into new research on agrivoltaics—specifically how forages perform when grown under solar panels in grazing systems. Brad shares results from a recent study evaluating multiple grass and legume species across different solar array designs compared to a traditional pasture. Overall, forage production depended heavily on species and shade level. Cool-season grasses like meadow fescue and orchardgrass performed well under solar panels, sometimes even producing more biomass than in open pasture. In contrast, warm-season species like sorghum-sudangrass struggled under shaded conditions. Legumes such as red clover maintained strong performance and contributed to improved forage quality. One of the biggest takeaways was that while heavier shade can reduce total biomass, it often improves forage quality. Grasses grown under solar panels showed higher crude protein and greater fiber digestibility, especially in more shaded systems. This suggests agrivoltaic systems can still produce high-quality feed, even when yield is slightly reduced. The episode highlights that selecting the right species—particularly shade-tolerant cool-season grasses and legume…
People in this episode
Guest: Brad
Topics covered
- agrivoltaics
- forage production
- solar panels
- grazing systems
- cool-season grasses
- forage quality
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Minnesota Extension
Products: sorghum-sudangrass, meadow fescue, orchardgrass, red clover
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