Turning shade into solar energy: Saudi startup Mirai Solar has created a solar panel shade screen for greenhouses to harness energy generation while protecting plants from excessive sunlight in agrivoltaic farming, according to this profile from PV Magazine. The company — supported by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology — co-developed its installation mechanism with German shade screen specialist Novavert to accommodate greenhouses of different sizes.

How does it work? The semi-transparent foldable and retractable PV shade screen allows a fraction of the light hitting the screen to be absorbed in the solar cell to generate electricity, while the remaining sunlight is allowed through and dispersed into the greenhouse. The folding system enables the shade screen to be drawn back to control sunlight and optimized control.

Why does it matter? Shade screens reduce the heat load in a greenhouse, maintaining humidity around the plants and reducing stress from excessive sun and heat in areas with high solar radiation. The shade screen keeps the PV glass-less and light, and protects the panel from dirt and heat in the environment.

It doesn’t stop with greenhouses: Mirai’s technology can reportedly generate electricity from shaded parking spots in car parks to recharge electric vehicles, and the foldable screens can be attached to modular containers — like the ones used for food service — or camper vans and boats.

Next steps: Miraj is currently running pilots in different locations and will introduce a turnkey system in 4Q2023.