Effects of roof-mounted flexible photovoltaic panels on solar radiation and tomato yield in Canarian greenhouse

Nowadays, the use of photovoltaic (PV) energy in greenhouses has become an important solution and suitable option to achieve the environmentally sustainable agriculture objectives. Recently, the integration of the photovoltaic panels on the structure of the greenhouse is one of these applications of photovoltaic technologies in agriculture. However, the resulting shading induced by the PV panels can have adverse effects on climate and greenhouse production. In this sense, our study was conducted for the purpose of assessing the effects of shading induced by the photovoltaic panels on crop productivity and climate conditions inside a Canarian greenhouse in which 40% of the roof area was covered with flexible photovoltaic panels. An identical greenhouse without PV panels was used as a control. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon 'Pristyla') was cultivated in the two greenhouses. The results showed that the photovoltaic panels covering 40% of the roof of a Canarian greenhouse in a checkerboard format, decreased the availability of solar radiation inside the greenhouse by 46 to 51% compared to the control greenhouse during clear days, and does not have a significant effect on the tomato yield, despite of their negative effect on the fruit maturity.