Plants such as wildflowers, vegetables and grasses often grow well under solar panels. Shaded plants require less water and help to keep the temperature under the panels cooler, in turn maximizing the panels efficiency. . Proper planning for the use of land within a solar array is critical to a successful project. Even with low maintenance systems, pre-planning has numerous benefits for the. . A study found that solar panels boost grassland productivity—with potential benefits for grazers, and for biodiversity—by up to 90%. Situating solar panels on grasslands can boost grass growth by 20% on average—and as much as 90% in some areas—during dry. . Ground-based, utility-scale solar panel installations used for electricity generation of 1 MW or greater are commonly referred to as 'solar farms' (US Energy Information Administration, 2020). Recent data from the 2024 SolarFarm Optimization Report shows 63% of solar installations experience reduced efficiency due to poor ground cover management.
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