UK: Using a solar sensor to aid in the growing process

Recent research projects run by Dr E Thompson (University of Greenwich), the photovoltaics company Polysolar, and Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent, have been exploring the potential for UK soft fruit farms to harness solar power while simultaneously producing high quality crops. By retrofitting semi-transparent photovoltaic materials to glasshouses and polytunnels, the projects have demonstrated how solar energy generation and crop production can coexist successfully on the same plot of land – without outlay on new structures.

This approach has potential to improve sustainability, reduce land requirements, and lower farming costs – and the project has generated significant interest, with major breeders and supermarkets visiting the installations.

As part of the project, the University of Greenwich team is also assessing how the use of various colour tinted (semi-transparent) glass solar panels affects the growth of crops, as these partition light wavelengths for plant photosynthesis or electricity generation. This work continues a long-running collaboration with other academic photosynthesis researchers, following their pilot study of leafy greens.


Research methodology and the BF5 sensor
Much of the team's research is being conducted at Hugh Lowe Farms (fig 1.) – a prominent commercial soft fruit grower in Kent. Specialised agritech solar panel materials are selected for the project by British company Polysolar Ltd. After successful trials of installations, the polytunnel photovoltaics are fitted and moved by farm staff as needed.

Polytunnels are retrofitted with long narrow strips of flexible PV material over the roof's curvature – at intervals across the length of the enclosure  The team is experimenting with different patterns of PV strip deployment and interval widths for tailored patterns of shade.

Commercial crops are being cultivated in several polytunnel sites, where a key research aim is to identify any effects from PV materials (and the shade they create) on plant growth, health and yield.

Delta-T Devices' BF5 Sunshine Sensor is playing a crucial role in accurately assessing the amount of solar radiation penetrating the polytunnel – both in areas directly shaded by the tinted PV strips and unshaded areas.


The data allows the research team to compare plant growth characteristics with the amount and quality of light that reaches the trials areas for the agrivoltaic crops.

The BF5  a compact, no-moving-parts, instrument that can measure both direct and diffuse solar radiation, and which can be easily repositioned to meet the needs of the experiment.

The team have deployed two BF5 Sensors at the site to give reliable measurements of solar radiation throughout each day.

One BF5 is housed within the polytunnel in an unshaded area, and one is positioned in a photovoltaics-shaded zone. This approach allows the team to generate absolute radiation measurements and calculate the differences in light levels that reach the crop plants via the PV panelled and non- PV panelled sections of the polytunnel

Hand-held light meters are also employed at multiple strategic points within and externally, to make spot measurements 


The electricity generated by the PV panels is fed into a large battery, where it can meet diverse power needs, from the powering of irrigation, electric vehicles or robotic systems.

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