JERUSALEM, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli government announced Tuesday a plan to test electricity generated from solar power facilities in arable lands.
Israel has been developing and testing the "agrivoltaic" systems that allow electricity to be generated from solar panels above crops in the same fields.
About 100 megawatts of power will be generated from the facilities installed in various types of farmlands across 100 places in Israel, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Energy said in a joint statement.
Crops involved in the testing program include orchards, field crops, flowers, spices, vineyards. The testing project helps to identify the optimal conditions for agrivoltaic systems, such as the crop type, facility height and climate.
The facilities also answer such agricultural purposes as reducing high radiation and transpiration, and streamlining irrigation, the statement noted.
The plan is another step in advancing a government decision to increase the target for electricity generation from renewable energies to 30 percent by 2030, it added. ■
