A US-Canadian group of scientists has suggested using existing fences in animal farms as a low-cost racking solution for solar modules.
Rack retrofit costs as little as four stainless steel ties per module, 120 ties can be bought for $11 or about 37 cents per stencil installed, if the modules are in the 250 to 500 W power range. Then the frame cost of the existing fence is less than one penny per watt, which fully reflects the practicability of the fence net.
The scientists presented their findings in the paper “The potential for fencing to be used as low-cost solar photovoltaic racking,” published in Solar Energy. “Future work is necessary to determine the full scope of the benefits of this approach of vertical PV agricultural fencing on a global scale,” they said, looking forward to how to improve the proposed methodology.
The research team comprises academics from the Western University in Canada and the Michigan Technological University in the United States.
