Getting Out of the Weeds: How To Control Vegetative Growth Under Solar Arrays

Published at Renewable Energy World --- 　It is officially summer. The sun is shining and the grass in your backyard is growing quickly. At home, mowing the lawn is one of summertime's most frequent chores — and it’s no different for the solar industry.

Weed or vegetation management is particularly important for ground-mounted solar systems. Tall weeds growing around the installation can create shading, which can negatively impact system production.  It can also cause hot spot heating — if a part of the solar cell is shaded, the cell can heat up to such extreme temperatures that a module can burn out causing permanent damage.

After the feed-in tariff (FIT) program was launched in Japan a few years ago, many ground-mounted PV systems started popping up in the country where small residential roof-top solar systems used to dominate. System owners recognize that growing vegetation under and around PV systems must be minimized to protect their valuable investment.

Emus taking care of weeds; Credit Oita Sekiyu

There are several weed control methods used for PV ground-mount systems in Japan; mowing, spraying herbicide, grazing sheep/goats, and covering the area with weed control sheets, for example. Controlling weeds incurs additional operation and maintenance (O&M) expenses for PV system owners and the long-term costs and benefits need to be carefully examined.Read More Here