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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/08/bp-solar-subsidiary-sees-the-light-in-search-for-uk-shiniest-grass-lightsource-energy
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| BP solar firm blazes ahead in search for UK's shiniest grass | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| BP’s solar subsidiary is on the hunt for Britain’s shiniest grass to help make the most of new double-sided solar panels that can harness light reflected off the ground. | BP’s solar subsidiary is on the hunt for Britain’s shiniest grass to help make the most of new double-sided solar panels that can harness light reflected off the ground. |
| Lightsource BP hopes the “bi-facial” solar panels will boost the amount of renewable energy generated at its solar farms and could make them more economic in gloomier parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland. | Lightsource BP hopes the “bi-facial” solar panels will boost the amount of renewable energy generated at its solar farms and could make them more economic in gloomier parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland. |
| At a test site outside Belfast the company found that the bifacial panels can increase electricity output by almost 15% – but this can be much higher if the ground beneath the panel is particularly reflective. | At a test site outside Belfast the company found that the bifacial panels can increase electricity output by almost 15% – but this can be much higher if the ground beneath the panel is particularly reflective. |
| Lightsource BP is using the findings from its experiment to work with a seed company in Norfolk to find the “most reflective” grass type to grow underneath the solar panels. | Lightsource BP is using the findings from its experiment to work with a seed company in Norfolk to find the “most reflective” grass type to grow underneath the solar panels. |
| Chris Buckland, the technical director of Lightsource BP, said the team tested the panels for almost a year on “lush Northern Irish grass”, which helped to reflect light on to the back-facing panels. | Chris Buckland, the technical director of Lightsource BP, said the team tested the panels for almost a year on “lush Northern Irish grass”, which helped to reflect light on to the back-facing panels. |
| The grass helped to produce an extra 14% of electricity, he said. | The grass helped to produce an extra 14% of electricity, he said. |
| The same panels positioned over white floorboards produced almost 30% more electricity than traditional panels and once the floorboards were removed to reveal dried, brown grass the output plummeted “to low single-digits”, he said. | The same panels positioned over white floorboards produced almost 30% more electricity than traditional panels and once the floorboards were removed to reveal dried, brown grass the output plummeted “to low single-digits”, he said. |
| Buckland believes that most customers will want to keep grass beneath their panels, rather than boards or gravel, which would require occasional cleaning. | Buckland believes that most customers will want to keep grass beneath their panels, rather than boards or gravel, which would require occasional cleaning. |
| “We’re working with a seed company in Norfolk to trial test fields of different grass types to find a species of grass with the most solar potential to recommend to our customers,” he said. | “We’re working with a seed company in Norfolk to trial test fields of different grass types to find a species of grass with the most solar potential to recommend to our customers,” he said. |
| “What will be important is that the grass stays green throughout the year. We are fortunate here in the UK because the grass is a perennial variety and quite tightly packed. | “What will be important is that the grass stays green throughout the year. We are fortunate here in the UK because the grass is a perennial variety and quite tightly packed. |
| “What we don’t know at this stage is whether the best grass will prove to be a wide-blade cattle grazing grass or a finer golf course variety. We’re not there yet.” | “What we don’t know at this stage is whether the best grass will prove to be a wide-blade cattle grazing grass or a finer golf course variety. We’re not there yet.” |
| Lightsource hopes to use the new solar technology advances to install solar projects in less sunny areas because the two-faced panels work particularly well in cooler climates. | Lightsource hopes to use the new solar technology advances to install solar projects in less sunny areas because the two-faced panels work particularly well in cooler climates. |
| In a trial, the company is using “tracker panels” that, like sunflowers, tilt through the day to follow the track of the sun, which are “very useful in sunnier areas”. | In a trial, the company is using “tracker panels” that, like sunflowers, tilt through the day to follow the track of the sun, which are “very useful in sunnier areas”. |
| The London-based solar giant, in which BP holds a 43% stake, is expanding quickly after it won the backing of the oil giant in 2017. | The London-based solar giant, in which BP holds a 43% stake, is expanding quickly after it won the backing of the oil giant in 2017. |
| BP returned to the solar market after a six-year hiatus, with plans to grow Lightsource in India, the US and the Middle East. | BP returned to the solar market after a six-year hiatus, with plans to grow Lightsource in India, the US and the Middle East. |
| It is already Europe’s largest utility-scale solar developer and more than $3bn (£2.4bn) has been invested across almost 2GW of solar projects around the world. | It is already Europe’s largest utility-scale solar developer and more than $3bn (£2.4bn) has been invested across almost 2GW of solar projects around the world. |
| Last week it announced plans to buy 1.9GW worth of solar projects in Brazil from the independent renewables developer Enerlife, for an undisclosed sum. | Last week it announced plans to buy 1.9GW worth of solar projects in Brazil from the independent renewables developer Enerlife, for an undisclosed sum. |
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