Multi-Year Study of Maize Under Elevated Tracking Agrivoltaic System and Simplified Yield Modelling

Abstract

Agrivoltaic systems are increasingly utilized as an approach to maximize land use efficiency by co-producing crops and solar energy. The research for this field includes a wide variety of shade-tolerant crops. However, there remains space for additional research for $\text{C}_4$ plants, such as maize, which are not known to be shade-tolerant. This study focuses on the physiological effects of shading from an elevated agrivoltaic system on {\it Zea mays} (L.), commonly known as maize, including developmental delays, physical parameters, and final yield. Using data collected on-site from a team of sensors in junction with NREL's NSRDB database, an equation was developed to quantify the most critical factors determining yield. It was found that under approximately 20-25\% shading condition, that the average yield reduction for a maize hybrid was 7.7\%. Additionally, the correlation between a joint variable, made up of irradiance and soil moisture, and yield was found to be 0.475. Our findings indicate that maize may be effectively used as an agrivoltaic crop, which may be critical for further wide-spread adoption of agrivoltaics on large commercial crop lands.

Keywords: Agrivoltaics, Co-production, Maize, Midwest, Shading