What is Agrivoltaics and why does it matter to Estate Agents?

Agrivoltaics refers to farming techniques that use the same land area for both solar power and agriculture. Solar power and agriculture are combined in a way that’s designed to improve the performance of both. Once a plant reaches its light saturation point, additional light doesn’t help the plant grow. In fact, excess sunlight increases the plant’s water demand creating more work for the farmer and potentially damaged crops.

 

With agrivoltaic farming, solar panels are mounted in an elevated position just above the plants and the crops get just the right amount of sunlight. Then, they spend the rest of the day under the panels’ shade.

 

Additionally, the crops underneath keep the solar panels cooler, which increases a solar panel’s energy production capacity by up to 10%. 

 

 

It is another example of even the most agricultural of industries around us looking to technology to evolve. Estate Agency in the UK has experienced an unprecedented boom at the start of the 2020’s but this was due to circumstances beyond their control and happened despite the technological issues in our industry rather than because of them but as we move into the rest of the decade all business from software to agriculture need to look at how they can work smarter and run lean organisations without a bulky wage bill required for manual work.

 

 

There are Estate Agencies using technology right now to enhance their business beyond what most even feel is currently possible. If you like the thought of learning about exactly how they are doing that you might Like the next Estate Agency X event in London on the 23rd March where agents will be on stage giving specific details of exactly how they are using technology in a way that would have seemed futuristic not 12 months ago.