Under solar panels, Puglia's grapevines grew stronger — and their bunches nearly three times heavier

It sounds backwards: shade the vines, get more grapes. In Puglia, in the hot heel of Italy, researchers from the University of Bari put solar panels over part of a 2.2-acre vineyard of 8-year-old Primitivo vines — a technique called agrivoltaics, growing crops and making clean electricity on the same land. The partly shaded vines grew shoots more than twice as long as those in full sun, and by harvest each grape bunch weighed almost three times as much. The berries were healthier too, with more of the natural acids linked to good health, and the shaded vines needed less watering in a dry region — easing pressure on local water supplies. Lead researcher Professor Giuseppe Ferrara cautions that it will not suit every grape or every place, but in hot, dry country the panels and the vines helped each other: the shade kept the plants cool, and the cooler, moister air under the panels helped the panels work a little better.

SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: tech innovation