Large Solar Farm in Ahrensfelde, Germany Think Greener hiking around Solar Farm in Ahrensfelde, Germany Think Greener hiking in Ahrensfelde, Germany Camper Van Parked in Ahrensfelde, Germany
Solar farms have a great return on their investment and are one of the best solutions to help reduce carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. It’s a simple way of generating clean renewable energy in a safe manner, which is locally generated and has no moving parts!
In the Netherlands, a group of scientists at Utrecht University have determined that some solar panel arrangements are better than others. Research concluded, south oriented solar arrays return a great benefit to the soil and vegetation that grows underneath and alongside the array. You must remember, this vegetation helps reduce the heat island effect, sequesters carbon dioxide, and reduces stormwater runoff. The south facing array allows farmers to grow a diverse cover crop instead of just grass. The solar arrays facing east west are lacking the abundance of light and water limiting the growth potential of the vegetation.
Think Greener was recently traveling for 3-months through nine countries in Europe and Scandinavia and came across many solar farms. I specifically remember parking the campervan outside of Berlin, Germany in a rural setting near a large solar farm and my wife and I grabbed our hiking stick and went on a 5-mile trek around it. This was a new experience for us being so close to such a large solar farm. We noticed, there was a tall chain link fence around the perimeter, as we continued to walk around. Then we noticed large herds of sheep! They were very happy with having unlimited food/grass to graze on and no predators to worry about. This is what I call living in harmony with your surroundings and what a perfect solution!
