Researchers in Canada found that semi-transparent cadmium telluride and low-transparency crystalline silicon solar panels can boost turnip root and leaf yields in agrivoltaic systems by optimizing light quality, distribution, and heat stress. Their study highlights that PV module type, transparency, and spectral transmission must be carefully matched to plant physiology to maximize both crop productivity and renewable energy generation.
Image: Western University
From pv magazine Global
Researchers at the University of Western Ontario in Canada have examined the effects of thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) and crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar panels on agricultural yield in agrivoltaic settings and have found that PV transparency and spectral transmission are key to shape optimal crop-atmosphere interactions.
“We took a hard look at agrivoltaic turnips and discovered several semi-transparent treatments that resulted in substantially more food while providing solar energy,” the research’s lead author, Joshua M. Pearce, told pv magazine.
The team investigated, in particular, turnip growth under thirteen types of PV modules with varying transparency and spectral properties. Experiments were conducted outdoors at the Wired facility, Western University Field Station in Ilderton, Ontario, using stilt-mounted PV racks for field-scale agrivoltaic trials.
McKenzie Turnip seeds were sown on May 21, 2025, initially with two plants per pot, later reduced to one after germination. The PV modules included three semitransparent c-Si types with transparency of 8%, 44%, and 69%, respectively, and ten CdTe thin-film modules with blue, green, and red spectral filters, varying in transparency from 40% to 80%. While CdTe modules provided relatively uniform light distribution, c-Si modules produced non-uniform patterns due to their intermittent solar cell arrangement.
Throughout the growing period, key variables such as photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), spectral irradiance, plant height, leaf count, and fresh biomass were measured. These data were analyzed to compare turnip growth across PV treatments and to assess the potential economic impacts of agrivoltaic adoption in Canada.
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