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A small experimental apple orchard at Cornell's Hudson Valley Research Laboratory may soon be topped by solar panels, which would not only track the sun to capture energy, but provide a warm canopy on cooler spring days and shade the trees from excessive heat.

The research lab proposes to install a 300-kilowatt solar arrangement next spring to cover about 1,100 apple trees. The single-axis movable energy array 12 feet above the ground would take advantage of the land by producing food and power.

"Nobody in North America has ever covered an apple orchard with solar panels," said Jared Buono, director of the laboratory, located in Highland, New York. "This is all about farm viability."

Agrivoltaics—the idea of growing viable crops while concurrently harnessing the sun's energy with solar panels—is not a new concept. Buono and his colleagues aim to demonstrate how the panels can be used to protect growing apples from extreme weather, including hail, in a changing climate. To simulate solar panel conditions, for now, the researchers have installed agricultural mesh at three different heights to learn how the young, densely packed dwarf trees and fruit respond.

By next summer, with an installed array centered over the high-density orchard, Buono can examine how varieties and rootstock react to covered or uncovered conditions.

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